* 


, 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


CHARLES  E.  WEAVER 
COLLECTION 


BY  EDMONDO  DE  AMICIS. 


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effects." 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON. 


'IV 

MOROCCO 

ITS    PEOPLE    AND    PLACES 


BY 


EDMONDO    DE   AMICIS 


TRANSLATED     BY      C.      ROLLIN-TILTON 


NEW  YORK  &  LONDON 

G.     P.    PUTNAM'S    SONS 

£{je  finiclttrbothrr  press 

1893 


A  S3 


CONTENTS 


CHAP, 

I  TANGIERS          ........  I 

II  HAD-EL-GARBIA     .......  ?O 

III  TLETA    DE    REISSANA          .,,...  IOI 

IV  ALKAZAR-EL-KEBIR 114 

V  BEN-AUDA           ........  126 

VI  KARIA-EL-ABBASSI            ....                         •  '3^ 

VII  BENI-HASSAN .  153 

VIII  SIDI-HASSEM .  167 

IX  ZEGUTA .                        •  I?5 

X  FROM    ZEGUTA    TO    SAGAT     .....  1 86 

XI  FEZ •  T92 

XII  MECHINEZ                                                       c  329 

XIII  ON    THE    SEBIJ                                                      .                                      •  347 

XIV  ARZILLA          ......            »  3*>2 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PA.GB 
GENERAL  VIEW   OF   TANGIERS  ,  .  ,  frontispiece 

FESTIVAL    OF    THE    CIRCUMCISION      ,.,.,,  24 

MAHOMET       ......»..'..-*•'••  34 

MARRIAGE  PROCESSION  IN  TANGIERS       ,                                            ;  36 

MOORISH  HUSBANDMAN 54 

LOADING  THE  CAMELS    .,..,.*••-                ,  66 

PEASANT  WOMEN  OF  THE  INTERIOR  ...  76 

THE  ARAB'S  MORNING  PRAYER ,  78 

PEOPLE  OF  ALKAZAR           ,                                    ,         -         .                  .  123 

THE  GOVERNOR  ABD-ALLA      ........  138 

TAKING  TEA  WITH  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  KARIA-EL-ABBASSI          ,         .  142 

A  CENTIPEDE          .,,..,..  146 

LYCOSA  TARENTULA ,  148 

THE  CAMEL  CONVEYANCE        ...-,,..  174 

SHOE  SHOP,  FEZ         .        .        .                .        ,        .        .        .  2O2 

MOOR    OF    FEZ               .',,.....,  2l6 

A   SAINT,    FEZ 224 

INNER   COURT   OF   OUR   HOUSE   AT   FEZ     ....,*  226 

ON    THE    TERRACES,    FEZ 238 


AN    INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    GRAND    VIZIER 

NEGRO    SLAVE    OF    FEZ  . 

SLAVE   OF    THE    SULTAN    . 

GATEWAY    AT    MECHINEZ       . 

PALACE    OF    THE    GOVERNOR    OK    MECHINEZ 


342 
284 
3IO 
336 
340 


MOROCCO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TANGIERS. 

r  I  ^HERE  are  no  two  countries  in  the  world  more 
_L  entirely  different  from  each  other  than  the 
two  which  are  separated  by  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar ; 
and  this  diversity  is  peculiarly  apparent  to  the  trav- 
eller who  approaches  Tangiers  from  Gibraltar,  where 
he  has  left  the  hurried,  noisy,  splendid  life  of  a  Eu- 
ropean city.  At  only  three  hours'  journey  from 
thence  the  very  name  of  our  continent  seems  un- 
known ;  the  word  "  Christian  "  signifies  enemy  ;  our 
civilization  is  ignored,  or  feared,  or  derided ;  all 
things,  from  the  very  foundations  of  social  life  to  its 
most  insignificant  particulars,  are  changed,  and  every 
indication  of  the  neighborhood  of  Europe  has  disap- 
peared. You  are  in  an  unknown  country,  having  no 
bonds  of  interest  in  it,  and  every  thing  to  learn. 
From  its  shore  the  European  coast  can  still  be  seen, 
but  the  heart  feels  itself  at  an  immeasurable  distance, 
as  if  that  narrow  tract  of  sea  were  an  ocean,  and 


2  MOROCCO. 

thpse  blue  mountains  an  illusion.  Within  three 
hours  a  wonderful  transformation  has  taken  place 
around  you. 

The  emotion,  however,  which  one  naturally  feels 
on  first  setting  foot  on  that  immense  and  mysterious 
continent,  which  has  moved  the  imagination  since 
one's  childhood,  is  disturbed  by  the  manner  of  dis- 
embarkation. Just  as  we  began  to  see  distinctly 
from  the  vessel  the  first  white  houses  of  Tangiers,  a 
Spanish  lady  behind  us  cried  out,  in  a  voice  of  alarm, 
"  What  can  all  those  people  want?  "  I  looked,  and 
beheld  behind  the  boats  that  were  coming  to  take 
off  the  passengers,  a  crowd  of  half-naked,  ragged 
Arabs,  standing  up  to  their  hips  in  the  water,  and 
pointing  out  the  ship  with  eager  gestures,  like  a  band 
of  brigands  rejoicing  over  their  approaching  prey. 
Not  knowing  who  they  were,  or  what  they  wanted, 
I  descended  with  an  anxious  mind  into  the  boat 
with  the  other  passengers.  When  we  had  come 
to  within  twenty  paces  of  the  shore  all  this  brick- 
colored  crew  swarmed  into  our  boat  and  laid 
hands  upon  us,  vociferating  in  Spanish  and  Arabic, 
and  making  us  understand  that  the  water  being 
too  low  for  us  to  land  from  the  boats,  we  were  to  be 
transported  upon  their  shoulders  ;  which  information 
dissipated  our  fears  of  robbery,  and  imposed  in  their 
stead  the  dread  of  vermin.  The  ladies  were  borne 
off  in  triumph  upon  stools,  and  I  made  my  entrance 
into  Africa  upon  the  back  of  an  old  mulatto,  with 
rny  chin  resting  upon  his  bare  skull,  and  the  tips  of 
my  toes  in  the  water. 


TAKGIERS. 


The  mulatto,  upon  reaching  the  shore,  unloaded 
me  into  the  hands  of  an  Arab  porter,  who,  passing 
through  one  of  the  city  gates,  led  me  at  a  run 
through  a  deserted  alley  to  an  inn  not  far  off, 
whence  I  almost  immediately  issued  again  with  a 
guide,  and  proceeded  to  the  more  frequented  streets. 

I  was  struck  at  once,  and  more  forcibly  than  I  can 
express,  with  the  aspect  of  the  population.  They 
all  wear  a  kind  of  long  white  cloak  of  wool  or  linen, 
with  a  large  pointed  hood  standing  upright  on  the 
head,  so  that  the  city  has  the  aspect  of  a  vast  convent 
of  Dominican  friars.  Of  all  this  cloaked  company 
some  are  moving  slowly,  gravely,  and  silently  about, 
as  if  they  wished  to  pass  unobserved  ;  others  are 
seated  or  crouched  against  the  walls,  in  front  of  the 
shops,  in  corners  of  the  houses,  motionless  and  with 
fixed  gaze,  like  the  petrified  populations  of  their  le- 
gends. The  walk,  the  attitude,  the  look,  all  are  new 
and  strange  to  me,  revealing  an  order  of  sentiment 
and  habit  quite  different  from  our  own,  another  man- 
ner of  considering  time  and  life.  These  people  do 
not  seem  to  be  occupied  in  any  way,  nor  are  they 
thinking  of  the  place  they  are  in,  or  of  what  is  go- 
ing on  about  them.  All  the  faces  wear  a  deep  and 
dreamy  expression,  as  if  they  were  dominated  by 
some  fixed  idea,  or  thinking  of  far-distant  times  and 
places,  or  dreaming  with  their  eyes  open.  I  had 
hardly  entered  the  crowd  when  I  was  aware  of  a 
peculiar  odor,  one  quite  unknown  to  me  among  Eu- 
ropeans ;  it  was  not  agreeable,  and  yet  I  began  to 


4  MOROCCO. 

inhale  it  with  a  vivid  curiosity,  as  if  it  might  explain 
some  things  to  me.  As  I  went  on,  the  crowd,  which 
at  a  distance  had  seemed  uniform,  presented  many 
varieties.  There  passed  before  me  faces  white, 
black,  yellow,  and  bronze  ;  heads  ornamented  with 
long  tresses  of  hair,  and  bare  skulls  as  shining 
as  metallic  balls ;  men  as  dry  as  mummies  ;  hor- 
rible old  men  ;  women  with  the  face  and  entire 
person  wrapped  in  formless  rags  ;  children  with  long 
braids  pendant  from  the  crown  of  the  otherwise  bare 
head ;  faces  of  sultans,  savages,  necromancers,  an- 
chorites, bandits  ;  people  oppressed  by  an  immense 
sadness  or  a  mortal  weariness  ;  none  smiling,  but 
moving  one  behind  the  other  with  slow  and  silent 
steps,  like  a  procession  of  spectres  in  a  cemetery. 

I  passed  through  other  streets,  and  saw  that  the 
city  corresponded  in  every  way  to  the  population. 
It  is  a  labyrinth  of  crooked  lanes,  or  rather  corridors, 
bordered  by  little  square  houses  of  dazzling  white- 
ness, without  windows,  and  with  little  doors  through 
which  one  person  can  pass  with  difficulty, — houses 
which  seem  made  to  hide  in  rather  than  live  in,  with 
a  mixed  aspect  of  convent  and  prison.  In  many  of 
the  streets  there  is  nothing  to  be  seen  save  the  white 
walls  and  the  blue  sky  ;  here  and  there  some  small 
Moorish  arch,  some  arabesque  window,  some  strip 
of  red  at  the  base  of  a  wall,  some  figure  of  a  hand 
painted  in  black  beside  a  door,  to  keep  off  evil  influ- 
ences. Almost  all  the  streets  are  encumbered  with 
rotten  vegetables,  feathers,  rags,  bones,  and  in  some 


TANGIERS.  5 

places  dead  dogs  and  cats,  infecting  the  air;  For 
long  distances  you  meet  no  one  but  a  group  of  Arab 
boys  in  pointed  hoods,  playing  together,  or  chanting 
in  nasal  tones  some  verses  from  the  Koran  ;  or  a 
crouching  beggar,  a  Moor  riding  on  a  mule,  an 
overloaded  ass  with  bleeding  back,  driven  by  a 
half- naked  Arab ;  some  tailless  mangy  dog,  or  cat 
of  fabulous  meagreness.  Transient  odors  of  garlic, 
fish,  or  burning  aloes  salute  you  as  you  pass  ;  and 
so  you  make  the  circuit  of  the  city,  finding  every- 
where the  same  dazzling  whiteness,  the  same  air  of 
mystery,  sadness,  and  ennui. 

Coming  out  upon  the  only  square  that  Tangiers 
can  boast,  which  is  cut  by  one  long  street  that  begins 
at  the  shore  and  crosses  the  whole  town,  you  see  a 
rectangular  place,  surrounded  by  shops  that  would  be 
mean  in  the  poorest  of  our  villages.  On  one  side 
there  is  a  fountain  constantly  surrounded  by  blacks 
and  Arabs  drawing  water  in  jars  and  gourds  ;  on 
the  other  side  sit  all  day  long  on  the  ground  eight 
or  ten  muffled  women  selling  bread.  Around  this 
square  are  the  very  modest  houses  of  the  different 
Legations,  which  rise  like  palaces  from  the  midst  of 
the  confused  multitude  of  Moorish  huts.  Here  in 
this  spot  is  concentrated  all  the  life  of  Tangiers, — 
the  life  of  a  large  village.  The  one  tobacconist  is 
here,  the  one  apothecary,  the  one  cafe, — a  dirty 
room  with  a  billiard-table, — and  the  one  solitary 
corner  where  a  printed  notice  may  be  sometimes 
seen.  Here  gather  the  half-naked  street-boys,  the 


O  MOROCCO. 

rich  and  idle  Moorish  gentlemen,  Jews  talking  about 
their  business,  Arab  porters  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  steamer,  attaches  of  the  Legations  expecting  the 
dinner-hour,  travellers  just  arrived,  interpreters,  and 
impostors  of  various  kinds.  The  courier  arriving 
from  Fez  or  Morocco  with  orders  from  the  Sultan  is 
to  be  met  here  ;  and  the  servant  coming  from  the 
post,  with  his  hands  full  of  journals  from  London 
and  Paris  ;  the  beauty  of  the  harem  and  the  wife  of 
the  minister ;  the  Bedouin's  camel  and  the  lady's 
lapdog ;  the  turban  and  the  chimney-pot  hat ;  and 
the  sound  of  a  piano  from  the  windows  of  a  consu- 
late mingles  with  the  lamentation  chant  from  the 
door  of  a  mosque.  It  is  the  point  where  the  last 
wave  of  European  civilization  is  lost  in  the  great 
dead  sea  of  African  barbarism. 

From  the  square  we  went  up  the  main  street,  and 
passing  by  two  old  gates,  came  out  at  twilight  be- 
yond the  walls  of  the  town,  and  found  ourselves  in 
an  open  space  on  the  side  of  a  hill  called  Soc-de- 
Barra,  or  exterior  market,  because  a  market  is  held 
there  every  Sunday  and  Thursday.  Of  all  the 
places  that  I  saw  in  Morocco  this  is  perhaps  the  one 
that  impressed  me  most  deeply  with  the  character  of 
the  country.  It  is  a  tract  of  bare  ground  rough  and 
and  irregular,  with  the  tumble-down  tomb  of  a  saint, 
composed  of  four  white  walls,  in  the  midst.  Upon 
the  top  there  is  a  cemetery,  with  a  few  aloes  and 
Indian  figs  growing  here  and  there  ;  below  are  the 
turreted  walls  of  the  town.  Near  the  gate,  on  the 


TANGIERS  7 

ground,  sat  a  group  of  Arab  women,  with  heaps  of 
green-stuff  before  them ;  a  long  file  of  camels 
crouched  about  the  saint's  tomb ;  farther  on  were 
some  black  tents,  and  a  circle  of  Arabs  seated 
around  an  old  man  erect  in  their  midst,  who  was 
telling  a  story  ;  horses  and  cows  here  and  there  ; 
and  above,  among  the  stones  and  mounds  of  the 
cemetery,  other  Arabs,  motionless  as  statues,  their 
faces  turned  toward  the  city,  their  whole  person  in 
shadow,  and  the  points  of  their  hoods  standing  out 
against  the  golden  twilight  sky.  A  sad  and  silent 
peacefulness  seemed  to  brood  over  the  scene,  such 
as  cannot  be  described  in  words,  but  ought  rather 
to  be  distilled  into  the  ear  drop  by  drop,  like  a 
solemn  secret. 

The  guide  awoke  me  from  my  reverie  and  re-con- 
ducted me  to  my  inn,  where  my  discomfiture  at  find- 
ing myself  among  strangers  was  much  mitigated 
when  I  discovered  that  they  were  all  Europeans  and 
Christians,  dressed  like  myself.  There  were  about 
twenty  persons  at  table,  men  and  women,  of  differ- 
ent nationalities,  presenting  a  fine  picture  of  that 
crossing  of  races  and  interlacing  of  interests  which 
go  on  in  that  country.  Here  was  a  Frenchman  born 
in  Algiers  married  to  an  Englishwoman  from  Gibral- 
tar ;  there,  a  Spaniard  of  Gibraltar  married  to  the 
sister  of  the  Portuguese  Consul ;  here  again,  an  old 
Englishman  with^a  daughter  born  in  Tangiers  and  a 
niece  native  of  Algiers  ;  families  wandering  from 
one  continent  to  the  other,  or  sprinkled  along  the 


5  MOROCCO. 

coast,  speaking  five  languages,  and  living  partly  like 
Arabs,  partly  like  Europeans.  All  through  dinner 
a  lively  conversation  went  on,  now  in  French,  now 
in  Spanish,  studded  with  Arabic  words,  upon  sub- 
jects quite  strange  to  the  ordinary  talk  of  Europeans  : 
such  as  the  price  of  a  camel  ;  the  salary  of  a  pasha ; 
whether  the  sultan  were  white  or  mulatto  ;  if  it  were 
true  that  there  had  been  brought  to  Fez  twenty 
heads  from  the  revolted  province  of  Garet ;  when 
those  religious  fanatics  who  eat  a  live  sheep  were 
likely  to  come  to  Tangiers  ;  and  other  things  of  the 
same  kind  that  aroused  within  my  soul  the  greatest 
curiosity.  Then  the  talk  ran  upon  European  poli- 
tics, with  that  odd  disconnectedness  that  is  always 
perceptible  in  the  discussions  of  people  of  different 
nations — those  big,  empty  phrases  which  they  use  in 
talking  of  the  politics  of  distant  countries,  imagining 
absurd  alliances  and  impossible  wars.  And  then 
came  the  inevitable  subject  of  Gibraltar — the  great 
Gibraltar,  the  centre  of  attraction  for  all  the  Eu- 
ropeans along  the  coast,  where  their  sons  are  sent 
to  study,  where  they  go  to  buy  clothes,  to  order  a 
piece  of  furniture,  to  hear  an  opera,  to  breathe  a 
mouthful  of  the  air  of  Europe.  Finally  came  up  the 
subject  of  the  departure  of  the  Italian  embassy  for 
Fez,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  that  the 
event  was  of  far  greater  importance  than  I  had  sup- 
posed ;  that  it  was  discussed  at  Gibraltar,  at  Alge- 
ziras,  Cadiz,  and  Malaga,  and  that  the  caravan  would 
be  a  mile  long ;  that  there  were  several  Italian 


TANGIERS.  9 

painters  with  the  embassy,  and  that  perhaps  there 
might  even  be  a  representative  of  the  press — at 
which  intelligence  I  rose  modestly  from  the  table, 
and  walked  away  with  majestic  steps. 

I  wandered  about  Tangiers  at  a  late  hour  that 
night.  There  was  not  a  single  light  in  street  or 
window,  nor  did  the  faintest  radiance  stream  through 
any  loop-hole  ;  the  city  seemed  uninhabited,  the 
white  houses  lay  under  the  starlight  like  tombs,  and 
the  tops  of  the  minarets  and  palm-trees  stood  out 
clear  against  the  cloudless  sky.  The  gates  of  the 
city  were  closed,  and  every  thing  was  mute  and 
lifeless.  Two  or  three  times  my  feet  entangled 
themselves  in  something  like  a  bundle  of  rags,  which 
proved  to  be  a  sleeping  Arab.  I  trod  with  disgust 
upon  bones  that  cracked  under  my  feet,  and  knew 
them  for  the  carcase  of  a  dog  or  cat ;  a  hooded  fig- 
ure glided  like  a  spectre  close  to  the  wall ;  another 
gleamed  white  for  one  instant  at  the  bottom  of  an 
alley  ;  and  at  a  turning  I  heard  a  sudden  rush  and 
scamper,  as  if  I  had  unwittingly  disturbed  some  con- 
sultation. My  own  footstep  when  I  moved,  my  own 
breathing  when  I  stood  still,  were  the  only  sounds 
that  broke  the  stillness.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  life 
in  Tangiers  were  concentrated  in  myself,  and  that  if 
I  were  to  give  a  sudden  cry  it  would  resound  from 
one  end  of  the  city  to  the  other  like  the  blast  of  a 
trumpet.  Meantime  the  moon  rose,  and  shone  upon 
the  white  walls  with  the  splendor  of  an  electric  light. 
In  a  dark  alley  I  met  a  man  with  a  lantern,  who 


IO  MOROCCO. 

stood  aside  to  let  me  pass,  murmuring  some  word:; 
that  I  did  not  understand.  Suddenly  a  loud  laugh 
made  my  blood  run  cold  for  an  instant,  and  two 
young  men  in  European  dress  went  by  in  conversa- 
tion ;  probably  two  attaches  to  the  Legations.  In  a 
corner  of  the  great  square,  behind  the  looped-up 
curtain  of  a  dark  little  shop,  a  dim  light  betrayed  a 
heap  of  whitish  rags,  from  which  issued  the  faint 
tinkle  of  a  guitar,  and  a  thin,  tremulous,  lamentable 
voice,  that  seemed  brought  by  the  wind  from  a  great 
distance.  I  went  back  to  my  inn,  feeling  like  a  man 
who  finds  himself  transported  into  some  other 
planet. 

The  next  morning  I  went  to  present  myself  to 
our  chargt  d'affaires,  Commendatore  Stefano  Sco- 
vasso.  He  could  not  accuse  me  of  not  being  punc- 
tual. On  the  8th  of  April,  at  Turin,  I  received  the 
invitation,  with  the  announcement  that  the  caravan 
would  leave  Tangiers  on  the  igth.  On  the  morning 
of  the  1 8th  I  was  at  the  Legation.  I  did  not  know 
Signer  Scovasso  personally,  but  I  knew  something 
about  him  which  inspired  me  with  a  great  desire  to 
make  his  acquaintance.  From  one  of  his  friends 
whom  I  had  seen  before  leaving  Turin,  I  had  heard 
that  he  was  a  man  capable  of  riding  from  Tangiers 
to  Timbuctoo  without  any  other  companions  than  a 
pair  of  pistols.  Another  friend  had  blamed  his 
inveterate  habit  of  risking  his  life  to  save  the  lives 
of  others.  When  I  arrived  at  the  Legation  I  found 
him  standing  at  the  gate  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of 


TANGIERS.  1 1 

Arabs,  all  motionless,  in  attitudes  of  profound  re- 
spect, seemingly  awaiting  his  orders.  Presenting 
myself,  and  being  at  once  made  a  guest  at  head- 
quarters, I  learned  that  our  departure  was  deferred 
till  the  ist  of  May,  because  there  was  an  English 
embassy  at  Fez,  and  our  horses,  camels,  mules,  and 
a  cavalry  escort  for  the  journey,  were  all  to  be  sent 
from  there.  A  transport-ship  of  our  military  marine, 
the  Dora,  then  anchored  at  Gibraltar,  had  already 
carried  to  Larrace,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  the^  pres- 
ents which  King  Victor  Emanuel  had  sent  to  the 
Emperor  of  Morocco.  The  principal  scope  of  our 
journey  for  the  chargt  d'affaires  was  to  present 
credentials  to  the  young  Sultan,  Muley  el  Hassen, 
who  had  ascended  the  throne  in  September,  1873. 
No  Italian  embassy  had  ever  been  at  Fez,  and  the 
banner  of  United  Italy  had  never  before  been 
carried  into  the  interior  of  Morocco.  Consequently, 
the  embassy  was  to  be  received  with  extraordinary 
solemnities. 

My  first  occupation  when  I  found  myself  alone 
was  to  take  observations  of  the  house  where  I  was 
to  be  a  guest ;  and  truly  it  was  well  worthy  of 
notice.  Not  that  the  building  itself  was  at  all  re- 
markable. White  and  bare  without,  it  had  a  garden 
in  front,  and  an  interior  court,  with  four  columns  sup- 
porting a  covered  gallery  that  ran  all  around  the  first 
floor.  It  was  like  a  gentleman's  house  at  Cadiz  or 
Seville.  But  the  people  and  their  manner  of  life  in 
this  house  were  all  new  to  me.  Housekeeper  and 


12  MOROCCO. 

cook  were  Piedmontese ;  there  was  a  Moorish 
woman-servant  of  Tangiers,  and  a  Negress  from  the 
Soudan  with  bare  feet  ;  there  were  Arab  waiters  and 
grooms  dressed  in  white  shirts ;  consular  guards  in  fez, 
red  caftan,  and  poignard ;  and  all  these  people  were 
in  perpetual  motion  all  day  long.  At  certain  hours 
there  was  a  coming  and  going  of  black  porters,  inter- 
preters, soldiers  of  the  pasha,  and  Moors  in  the 
service  of  the  Legation.  The  court  was  full  of 
boxes,  camp-beds,  carpets,  lanterns.  Hammers  and 
saws  were  in  full  cry,  and  the  strange  names  of 
Fatima,  Racma,  Selam,  Mohammed,  Abd-er-Rha- 
man  flew  from  mouth  to  mouth.  And  what  a  hash 
of  languages !  A  Moor  would  bring  a  message  in 
Arabic  to  another  Moor,  who  transmitted  it  in 
Spanish  to  the  housekeeper,  who  repeated  it  in 
Piedmontese  to  the  cook,  and  so  on.  There  was  a 
constant  succession  of  translations,  comments,  mis- 
takes, doubts,  mingled  with  Italian,  Spanish,  and 
Arabic  exclamations.  In  the  street,  a  procession  of 
horses  and  mules  ;  before  the  door,  a  permanent 
group  of  curious  lookers-on,  or  poor  wretches,  Arabs 
and  Jews,  patient  aspirants  for  the  protection  of  the 
Legation.  From  time  to  time  came  a  minister  or  a 
consul,  before  whom  all  the  turbans  and  fezes 
bowed  themselves.  Every  moment  some  mysteri- 
ous messenger,  some  unknown  and  strange  cos- 
tume, some  remarkable  face,  appeared.  It  seemed 
like  a  theatrical  representation,  with  the  scene  laid 
in  the  East. 


TANGIER S.  1 3 

My  next  thought  was  to  take  possession  of  some 
book  of  my  host's  that  should  teach  me  something 
of  the  country  I  was  in,  before  beginning  to  study 
costume.  This  country,  shut  in  by  the  Mediterra- 
nean, Algeria,  the  desert  of  Sahara,  and  the  ocean, 
crossed  by  the  great  chain  of  the  Atlas,  bathed  by 
wide  rivers,  opening  into  immense  plains,  with 
every  variety  of  climate,  endowed  with  inestimable 
riches  in  all  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature,  destined 
by  its  position  to  be  the  great  commercial  high-road 
between  Europe  and  Central  Africa,  is  now  occupied 
by  about  8,000,000  of  inhabitants — Berbers,  Moors, 
Arabs,  Jews,  Negroes,  and  Europeans — sprinkled 
over  a  vaster  extent  of  country  than  that  of 
France.  The  Berbers,  who  form  the  basis  of  the 
indigenous  population — a  savage,  turbulent,  and  in- 
domitable race — live  on  the  inaccessible  mountains 
of  the  Atlas,  in  almost  complete  independence  of 
the  imperial  authority.  The  Arabs,  the  conquering 
race,  occupy  the  plains — a  nomadic  and  pastoral 
people,  not  entirely  degenerated  from  their  ancient 
haughty  character.  The  Moors,  corrupted  and 
crossed  by  Arab  blood,  are  in  great  part  descended 
from  the  Moors  of  Spain,  and,  inhabiting  the  cities, 
hold  in  their  hands  the  wealth,  trade,  and  commerce 
of  the  country.  The  blacks,  about  5oo,ooo,  origi- 
nally from  the  Soudan,  are  generally  servants, 
laborers,  and  soldiers.  The  Jews,  almost  equal  in 
number  to  the  blacks,  descend,  for  the  most  part, 
from  those  who  were  exiled  from  Europe  in  the 


1 4  MOROCCO. 

Middle  Ages,  and  are  oppressed,  hated,  degraded, 
and  persecuted  here  more  than  in  any  other  country 
in  the  world.  They  exercise  various  arts  and  trades, 
and  in  a  thousand  ways  display  the  ingenuity, 
pliability,  and  tenacity  of  their  race,  finding  in  the 
possession  of  money  torn  from  their  oppressors  a 
recompense  for  all  their  woes.  The  Europeans 
whom  Mussulman  intolerance  has,  little  by  little, 
driven  from  the  interior  of  the  empire  toward  the 
coast,  number  less  than  2,000  in  all  Morocco,  the 
greater  part  inhabiting  Tangiers,  and  living  under 
the  protection  of  the  consular  flags.  This  hetero- 
geneous, dispersed,  and  irreconcilable  population  is 
oppressed  rather  than  protected  by  a  military  gov- 
ernment that,  like  a  monstrous  leech,  sucks  out  all 
the  vital  juices  from  the  State.  The  tribes  and 
boroughs,  or  suburbs,  obey  their  shiekhs  ;  the  cities 
and  provinces  the  cadi ;  the  greater  provinces  the 
pasha ;  and  the  pasha  obeys  the  Sultan — grand 
schereef,  -high  priest,  supreme  judge,  executor  of  the 
laws  emanating  from  himself,  free  to  change  at  his 
caprice  money,  taxes,  weights  and  measures  ;  mas- 
ter of  the  possessions  and  lives  of  his  subjects. 
Under  the  weight  of  this  gqvernment,  and  within 
the  inflexible  circle  of  the  Mussulman  religion, 
unmoved  by  European  influences,  and  full  of  a  sav- 
age fanaticism,  everything  that  in  other  countries 
moves  and  progresses,  here  remains  motionless  or 
falls  into  ruin. 

Commerce  is  choked  by  monopolies,  by  prohibi' 


TANGIERS.  1 5 

tions  upon  exports  and  imports,  and  by  the  capri- 
cious mutability  of  the  laws.  Manufactures,  re- 
stricted by  the  bonds  laid  upon  commerce,  have 
remained  as  they  were  at  the  time  of  the  expulsion 
of  the  Moors  from  Spain,  with  the  same  primitive 
tools  and  methods.  Agriculture,  loaded  heavily 
with  taxes,  hampered  in  exportation  of  produce, 
and  only  exercised  from  sheer  necessity,  has  fallen 
so  low  as  no  longer  to  merit  the  name.  Science, 
suffocated  by  the  Koran,  and  contaminated  by 
superstition,  is  reduced  to  a  few  elements  in  the 
higher  schools,  such  as  were  taught  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  There  are  no  printing-presses,  no  books, 
no  journals,  no  geographical  maps ;  the  language 
itself,  a  corruption  of  the  Arabic,  and  represented 
only  by  an  imperfect  and  variable  written  character, 
is  becoming  yearly  more  debased  ;  in  the  general 
decadence  the  national  character  is  corrupted  ;  all 
the  ancient  Mussulman  civilization  is  disappearing. 
Morocco,  the  last  western  bulwark  of  Islamism,  once 
the  seat  of  a  monarchy  that  ruled  from  the  Ebro  to 
the  Soudan,  and  from  the  Niger  to  the  Balearic 
Isles,  glorious  with  flourishing  universities,  with 
immense  libraries,  with  men  famous  for  their  learn- 
ing, with  formidable  fleets  and  armies,  is  now 
nothing  but  a  small  and  almost  unknown  state,  full  of 
wretchedness  and  ruin,  resisting  with  its  last  remain- 
ing strength  the  advance  of  European  civilization, 
seated  upon  its  foundations  still,  but  confronted  by 
the  reciprocal  jealousies  of  civilized  states. 


1 6  MOROCCO. 

As  for  Tangiers,  the  ancient  Tingis,  which  gave 
its  name  to  Tingistanian  Mauritania,  it  passed  suc- 
cessively from  the  hands  of  the  Romans  into  those 
of  the  Vandals,  Greeks,  Visigoths,  Arabs,  Portugese, 
and  English,  and  is  now  a  city  of  about  i5,ooo  in- 
habitants, considered  by  its  sister  cities  as  having 
been  "  prostituted  to  the  Christians,"  although  there 
are  no  traces  of  the  churches  and  monasteries 
founded  by  the  Portugese,  and  the  Christian  re- 
ligion boasts  there  but  one  small  chapel,  hidden 
away  among  the  legations. 

I  made  in  the  streets  of  Tangiers  a  few  notes,  in 
preparation  for  my  journey,  and  they  are  given  here, 
because,  having  been  written  down  under  the  im- 
pression of  the  moment,  they  are  perhaps  more  ef- 
fective than  a  more  elaborate  description. 

I  am  ashamed  when  I  pass  a  handsome  Moor  in 
gala  dress.  I  compare  my  ugly  hat  with  his  large 
muslin  turban,  my  short  jacket  with  his  ample  white 
or  rose-colored  caftan — the  meanness,  in  short,  of 
my  black  and  gray  garments  with  the  whiteness, 
the  amplitude,  the  graceful  dignified  simplicity  of 
his — and  it  seems  to  me  that  I  look  like  a  black 
beetle  beside  a  butterfly.  I  stand  sometimes  at  my 
window  in  contemplation  before  a  portion  of  a  pair 
of  crimson  drawers  and  a  gold-colored  slipper,  ap- 
pearing from  behind  a  column  in  the  square  below, 
and  find  so  much  pleasure  in  it  that  I  cannot  cease 
from  gazing.  More  than  any  thing  else  I  admire 
and  envy  the  caic,  that  long  piece  of  snow-white 


TANGIERS.  17 

wool  or  silk  with  transparent  stripes  which  is  twisted 
round  the  turban,  falls  down  between  the  shoulders, 
is  passed  round  the  waist,  and  thrown  up  over  one 
shoulder,  whence  it  descends  to  the  feet,  softly  veil- 
ing the  rich  colors  of  the  dress  beneath,  and  at  every 
breath  of  wind  swelling,  quivering,  floating,  seeming 
to  glow  in  the  sun's  rays,  and  giving  to  the  whole 
person  a  vaporous  and  visionary  aspect. 

No  one  who  has  not  seen  it  can  imagine  to  what 
a  point  the  Arab  carries  the  art  of  lying  down.  In 
corners  where  we  should  be  embarrassed  to  place  a 
bag  of  rags  or  a  bundle  of  straw,  he  disposes  of  him- 
self as  upon  a  bed  of  down.  He  adapts  himself  to 
the  protuberances,  fills  up  the  cavities,  spreads  him- 
self upon  the  wall  like  a  bas-relief,  and  flattens  him- 
self out  upon  the  ground  until  he  looks  like  a  sheet 
spread  out  to  dry.  He  will  assume  the  form  of  a 
ball,  a  cube,  or  a  monster  without  arms,  legs,  or 
head  ;  so  that  the  streets  and  squares  look  like 
battle-fields  strewn  with  corpses  and  mutilated 
trunks  of  men. 

The  greater  part  have  nothing  on  but  a  simple 
white  mantle  ;  but  what  a  variety  there  is  among 
them !  Some  wear  it  open,  some  closed,  some 
drawn  on  one  side,  some  folded  over  the  shoulder, 
some  tightly  wrapped,  some  loosely  floating,  but 
always  with  an  air ;  varied  by  picturesque  folds, 
falling  in  easy  but  severe  lines,  as  if  they  were 
posing  for  an  artist.  Every  one  of  them  might  pass 
for  a  Roman  senator.  This  very  morning  our 


1 8  MOROCCO. 

artist  discovered  a  marvellous  Marcus  Brutus  in  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  Bedouins.  But  if  one  is  not 
accustomed  to  wear  it,  the  face  is  not  sufficient  to 
ennoble  the  folds  of  the  mantle.  Some  of  us  bought 
them  for  the  journey,  and  tried  them  on,  and  we 
looked  like  so  many  convalescents  wrapped  in 
bathing-sheets. 

I  have  not  yet  seen  among  the  Arabs  a  hunchback, 
or  a  lame  man,  or  a  rickety  man,  but  many  without 
a  nose  and  without  an  eye,  one  or  both,  and  the 
greater  part  of  these  with  the  empty  orbit: — a  sight 
which  made  me  shiver  when  I  thought  that  possibly 
the  globe  had  been  torn  out  in  virtue  of  the  lex 
talionis,  which  is  in  vigor  in  the  empire.  But  there 
is  no  ridiculous  ugliness  among  these  strange  and 
terrible  figures.  The  flowing  ample  vesture  con- 
ceals all  small  defects,  as  the  common  gravity  and 
the  dark,  bronzed  skin  conceals  the  difference  of  age. 
In  consequence  of  this  one  encounters  at  every  step 
men  of  indefinable  age,  of  whom  one  cannot  guess 
whether  they  are  old  or  young  ;  and  if  you  judge 
them  old,  a  lightning  smile  reveals  their  youth ;  and 
if  you  think  them  young,  the  hood  falls  back  and 
betrays  the  gray  locks  of  age. 

The  Jews  of  this  country  have  the  same  features 
as  those  of  our  own,  but  their  taller  stature,  darker 
complexion,  and,  above  all,  their  picturesque  attire, 
make  them  appear  quite  different.  They  wear  a 
dress  in  form  very  like  a  dressing-gown,  of  various 
colors,  generally  dark,  bound  round  the  waist  with  2 


TANGIERS.  ig 

red  girdle  ;  a  black  cap,  wide  trousers  that  come  a 
little  below  the  skirts  of  the  coat,  and  yellow  slip- 
pers. It  is  curious  to  see  what  a  number  of  dandies 
there  are  among  them  dressed  in  fine  stuffs,  with 
embroidered  shirts,  silken  sashes,  and  rings  and 
chains  of  gold  ;  but  they  are  handsome,  dignified- 
looking  men,  always  excepting  those  who  have 
adopted  the  black  frock-coat  and  chimney-pot  hat. 
There  are  some  pretty  faces  among  the  boys,  but 
the  sort  of  dressing-gown  in  which  they  are  wrapped 
is  not  generally  becoming  at  their  age.  It  seems  to 
me  that  there  is  no  exaggeration  in  the  reports  of 
the  beauty  of  the  Jewesses  of  Morocco,  which  has  a 
character  of  its  own  unknown  in  other  countries.  It 
is  an  opulent  and  splendid  beauty,  with  large  black 
eyes,  broad  low  forehead,  full  red  lips,  and  statu- 
esque form, — a  theatrical  beauty  that  looks  well 
from  a  distance,  and  produces  applause  rather  than 
sighs  in  the  beholder.  The  Hebrew  women  of 
Tangiers  do  not  wear  in  public  their  rich  national 
costume ;  they  are  dressed  almost  like  Europeans, 
but  in  such  glaring  colors — blue,  carmine,  sulphur 
yellow,  and  grass-green — that  they  look  like  women 
wrapped  in  the  flags  of  all  nations.  On  the  Satur- 
days, when  they  are  in  all  their  glory,  the  Jewish 
quarter  presents  a  marked  contrast  to  the  austere 
solitude  of  the  other  streets. 

The  little  Arab  boys  amuse  me.  Even  those 
small  ones  who  can  scarcely  walk  are  robed  in  the 
white  mantle,  and  with  their  high-pointed  hoods 


20  MOROCCO. 

they  look  like  perambulating  extinguishers.  The 
greater  part  of  them  have  their  heads  shaven  as 
bare  as  your  hand,  except  a  braided  lock  about  a 
foot  long  pendent  from  the  crown,  which  looks  as  if 
it  were  left  on  purpose  to  hang  them  up  by  on  nails, 
like  puppets.  Some  few  have  the  lock  behind  one 
ear  or  over  the  temple,  with  a  bit  of  hair  cut  in  a 
square  or  triangular  form,  the  distinctive  mark  of 
the  last  born  in  the  family.  In  general  they  have 
pretty,  pale  little  faces,  erect,  slender  bodies,  and  an 
expression  of  precocious  intelligence.  In  the  more 
frequented  parts  of  the  city  they  take  no  notice  of 
Europeans  ;  in  the  other  parts  they  content  them- 
selves with  looking  intently  at  them  with  an  air 
which  says,  "  I  do  not  like  you."  Here  and  there  is 
one  who  would  like  to  be  impertinent ;  it  glitters  in 
his  eye  and  quivers  on  his  lip  ;  but  rarely  does  he 
allow  it  to  escape,  not  so  much  out  of  respect  for 
the  Nazarene  as  out  of  fear  of  his  father,  who  stands 
in  awe  of  the  Legations.  In  any  case  the  sight  of  a 
small  coin  will  quiet  them.  But  it  will  not  do  to 
pull  their  braided  tails.  I  indulged  myself  once  in 
giving  a  little  pluck  at  a  small  image  about  a  foot 
high,  and  he  turned  upon  me  in  a  fury,  spluttering 
out  some  words  which  my  guide  told  me  meant, 
"  May  God  roast  your  grandfather,  accursed  Chris- 
tian ! " 

I  have  at  last  seen  two  saints, — that  is  to  say, 
idiots  or  lunatics,  because  throughout  all  North 
Africa  that  man  from  whom  God,  in  sign  of  predi- 


TANG1ERS.  21 

lection,  has  withdrawn  his  reason  to  keep  it  a  pris- 
oner in  heaven,  is  venerated  as  a  saint.  The  first 
one  was  in  the  main  street,  in  front  of  a  shop.  I 
saw  him  from  a  distance  and  stayed  my  steps,  for  I 
knew  that  all  things  are  allowed  to  saints,  and  had 
no  desire  to  be  struck  on  the  back  of  the  neck  with 
a  stick,  like  M.  Sourdeau,  the  French  consul,  or  to 
have  the  saint  spit  in  my  face,  as  happened  to  Mr. 
Drummond  Hay.  But  the  interpreter  who  was 
with  me  assured  me  that  there  was  no  danger  now, 
for  the  saints  of  Tangiers  had  learned  a  lesson  since 
the  Legations  had  made  some  examples,  and  in  any 
case  the  Arabs  themselves  would  serve  me  as  a 
shield,  since  they  did  not  wish  the  saint  to  get  into 
trouble.  So  I  went  on  and  passed  before  the  scare- 
crow, observing  him  attentively.  He  was  an  old 
man,  all  face,  very  fat,  with  very  long  white  hair,  a 
beard  descending  on  his  breast,  a  paper  crown  upon 
his  head,  a  ragged  red  mantle  on  his  shoulders,  and 
in  his  hand  a  small  lance  with  gilded  point.  He  sat 
on  the  ground  with  crossed  legs,  his  back  against  a 
wall,  looking  at  the  passers-by  with  a  discontented 
expression.  I  stopped  before  him  ;  he  looked  at  me. 
"  Now,"  thought  I,  "  he  will  throw  his  lance."  But 
the  lance  remained  quiet,  and  I  was  astonished  at 
the  tranquil  and  intelligent  look  in  his  eyes,  and  a 
cunning  smile  that  seemed  to  gleam  within  them. 
They  said,  "  Ah !  you  think  I  am  going  to  make  a 
fool  of  myself  by  attacking  you,  do  you  ?  "  He  was 
certainly  one  of  those  impostors  who,  having  all 


22  MOROCCO. 

their  reason,  feign  madness  in  order  to  enjoy  saintly 
privileges.  I  threw  him  some  money,  which  he 
picked  up  with  an  air  of  affected  indifference,  and 
going  on  my  way  presently  met  another.  This  was 
a  real  saint.  He  was  a  mulatto,  almost  entirely 
naked,  and  less  than  human  in  visage,  covered  with 
filth  from  head  to  foot,  and  so  thin  that  he  seemed 
a  walking  skeleton.  He  was  moving  slowly  along, 
carrying  with  difficulty  a  great  white  banner,  which 
the  street-boys  ran  to  kiss,  and  accompanied  by 
another  poor  wretch  who  begged  from  shop  to 
shop,  and  two  noisy  rascals  with  drum  and  trumpet. 
As  I  passed  near  him  he  showed  me  the  white  of 
his  eye,  and  stopped.  I  thought  he  seemed  to  be 
preparing  something  in  his  mouth,  and  stepped 
nimbly  aside.  "  You  were  right,"  said  the  inter- 
preter ;  "  because  if  he  had  spat  on  you,  the  only 
consolation  you  would  have  got  from  the  Arabs 
would  have  been,  '  Do  not  wipe  it  off,  fortunate 
Christian  !  Thou  art  blessed  that  the  saint  has  spat 
in  thy  face  !  Do  not  put  away  the  sign  of  God's 
benevolence  !  ' 

This  evening  I  have  for  the  first  time  really  heard 
Arab  music.  In  the  perpetual  repitition  of  the  same 
notes,  always  of  a  melancholy  cast,  there  is  some- 
thing that  gradually  touches  the  soul.  It  is  a  kind 
of  monotonous  lamentation  that  finally  takes  posses- 
sion of  the  thoughts,  like  the  murmur  of  a  fountain, 
the  cricket's  chirp,  and  the  beat  of  hammers  upon 
anvils,  such  as  one  hears  in  the  evening  when  pass- 


TANGIERS.  23 

ing  near  a  village.  I  feel  compelled  to  meditate 
upon  it,  and  find  out  the  signification  of  those 
eternal  words  for  ever  sounding  in  my  ears.  It  is  a 
barbaric  music,  full  of  simplicity  and  sweetness,  that 
carries  me  back  to  primitive  conditions,  revives  my 
infantile  memories  of  the  Bible,  recalls  to  mind  for- 
gotten dreams,  fills  me  with  curiosity  about  countries 
and  peoples  unknown,  transports  me  to  great  dis- 
tances amid  groves  of  strange  trees,  with  a  group 
of  aged  priests  bending  about  a  golden  idol  ;  or  in 
boundless  plains,  in  solemn  solitudes,  behind  weary 
caravans  of  travellers  that  question  with  their  eyes 
the  burning  horizon,  and  with  drooping  heads  com- 
mend themselves  to  God.  Nothing  about  me  so 
fills  me  with  a  yea'rning  desire  to  see  my  own 
country  and  my  people  as  these  few  notes  of  a  weak 
voice  and  tuneless  guitar. 

The  oddest  things  in  the  world  are  the  Moorish 
shops.  They  are  one  and  all  a  sort  of  alcove  about 
a  yard  high,  with  an  opening  to  the  street,  where 
the  buyer  stands  as  at  a  window,  leaning  against  the 
wall.  The  shopman  is  within,  seated  cross-legged, 
with  a  portion  of  his  merchandise  before  him,  and 
the  rest  on  little  shelves  behind.  The  effect  of  these 
bearded  old  Moors,  motionless  as  images  in  their 
dark  holes,  is  very  strange.  It  seems  themselves, 
and  not  their  goods,  that  are  on  exhibition,  like  the 
"  living  phenomena  "  of  country  fairs.  Are  they 
alive,  or  made  of  wood  ;  and  where  is  the  handle  to 
set  them  in  motion  ?  The  air  of  solitude,  weari- 


24  MOROCCO. 

ness,  and  sadness,  that  hangs  about  them  is  inde- 
scribable. Every  shop  seems  a  tomb,  where  the 
occupant,  already  separated  from  the  living  world, 
silently  awaits  his  death. 

I  have  seen  two  children  led  in  triumph  after  the 
solemn  ceremony  of  circumcision.  One  was  about 
six,  and  the  other  five  years  old.  They  were  both 
seated  upon  a  white  mule,  and  were  dressed  in  red, 
green,  and  yellow  garments,  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  covered  with  ribbons  and  flowers,  from  which 
their  little  pallid  faces  looked  forth,  still  wearing  an 
expression  of  terror  and  amazement.  Before  the 
mule,  which  was  gaily  caparisoned  and  hung  with 
garlands,  went  three  drummers,  a  piper,  and  a 
cornet-player,  making  all  the  noise  they  could  ;  to 
the  right  and  left  walked  friends  and  parents,  one  of 
whom  held  the  little  ones  firm  in  the  saddle,  while 
others  gave  them  sweetmeats  and  caresses,  and 
others,  again,  fired  off  guns,  and  leaped  and  shouted. 
If  I  had  not  already  known  what  it  meant,  I  should 
have  thought  that  the  two  poor  babies  were  victims 
being  carried  to  the  sacrifice  ;  and  yet  the  spectacle 
was  not  without  a  certain  picturesqueness. 

This  evening  I  have  been  present  at  a  singular 
metamorphosis  of  Racma,  the  minister's  black  slave. 
Her  companion  came  to  call  me,  and  conducted  me 
on  tip-toe  to  a  door,  which  she  suddenly  threw  open, 
exclaiming,  "  Behold  Racma!"  I  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve my  eyes,  for  there  stood  the  negress,  whom  I 
had  been  accustomed  to  see  only  in  her  common 


TANGIERS.  25 

working  dress,  arrayed  like  the  Queen  of  Timbuctoo, 
or  a  princess  from  some  unknown  African  realm, 
brought  thither  on  the  miraculous  carpet  of  Bisnagar. 
As  I  saw  her  only  for  a  moment,  I  cannot  say  ex- 
actly how  she  was  dressed.  There  was  a  gleam  of 
snowy  white,  a  glow  of  purple  and  crimson,  and  a 
shine  of  gold,  under  a  large  transparent  veil,  which, 
together  with  her  ebony  blackness  of  visage,  com- 
posed a  whole  of  barbaric  magnificence  and  the 
richest  harmony  of  color.  As  I  drew  near  to  ob- 
serve more  closely,  all  the  pomp  and  splendor  van- 
ished under  the  gloomy  Mohammedan  sheet-like 
mantle,  and  the  queen,  transformed  into  a  spectre, 
glided  away,  leaving  behind  her  a  nauseous  odor  of 
black  savage  which  destroyed  all  my  illusions. 

Hearing  a  great  outcry  in  the  square,  I  looked 
out  of  my  window  and  saw  passing  by  a  negro, 
naked  to  the  waist  and  seated  upon  an  ass,  ac- 
companied by  some  Arabs  armed  with  sticks,  and 
followed  by  a  troop  of  yelling  boys.  At  first  I 
thought  it  some  frolic,  and  took  my  opera-glass  to 
look  ;  but  I  turned  away  with  a  shudder.  The 
white  drawers  of  the  negro  were  all  stained  with 
blood  that  dropped  from  his  back,  and  the  Arabs 
were  soldiers  who  were  beating  him  with  sticks. 
He  had  stolen  a  hen.  "  Lucky  fellow,"  said  my 
informant  ;  "  it  appears  they  will  let  him  off  without 
cutting  off  his  right  hand." 

I  have  been  seven  days  at  Tangiers,  and  have  not 
yet  seen  an  Arab  woman's  face.  I  seem  to  be  in 


20  MOROCCO. 

some  monstrous  masquerade,  where  all  the  women 
represent  ghosts,  wrapped  in  sepulchral  sheets  or 
shrouds.  They  walk  with  long,  slow  steps,  a  little 
bent  forward,  covering  their  faces  with  the  end  of  a 
sort  of  linen  mantle,  under  which  they  have  nothing 
but  a  long  chemise  with  wide  sleeves,  bound  round 
the  waist  by  a  cord  like  a  friar's  frock.  Nothing  of 
them  is  visible  but  the  eyes,  the  hand  that  covers  the 
face,  the  fingers  tinted  with  henna,  and  the  bare 
feet,  the  toes  also  tinted,  in  large  yellow  slippers. 
The  greater  part  of  them  display  only  one  eye, 
which  is  dark,  and  a  small  bit  of  yellowish-white 
forehead.  Meeting  a  European  in  a  narrow  street, 
some  of  them  cover  the  whole  face  with  a  rapid, 
awkward  movement,  and  shrink  close  to  the  wall  ; 
others  venture  a  timid  glance  of  curiosity  ;  and  now 
and  then  one  will  launch  a  provoking  look,  and  drop 
her  eyes  smiling.  But  in  general  they  wear  a  sad, 
weary,  and  oppressed  aspect.  The  little  girls,  who 
are  not  of  an  age  to  be  veiled,  are  pretty,  with  black 
eyes,  full  faces,  pale  complexions,  red  lips,  arid  small 
hands  and  feet.  But  at  twenty  they  are  faded,  at 
thirty  old,  and  at  fifty  decrepit. 

I  know  now  who  are  those  fair-haired  men,  with  ill- 
omened  visages,  who  pass  me  sometimes  in  the  streets, 
and  look  at  me  with  such  threatening  eyes.  They 
are  those  Rifans,  Berbers  by  race,  who  have  no  law 
beyond  their  guns,  and  recognize  no  authority. 
Audacious  pirates,  sanguinary  bandits,  eternal  rebels, 
who  inhabit  the  mountains  of  the  coast  of  Tetuan, 


TANGIERS.  27 

on  the  Algerian  frontier,  whom  neither  the  cannon 
of  European  ships  nor  the  armies  of  the  Sultan 
have  ever  been  able  to  dislodge  ;  the  population,  in 
short,  of  that  famous  Rif,  where  no  foreigner  may 
dare  to  set  his  foot,  unless  under  the  protection  ot 
the  saints  and  the  sheikhs ;  about  whom  all  sorts  of 
terrible  legends  are  rife  ;  and  the  neighboring  peo- 
ples speak  vaguely  of  their  country,  as  of  one  far 
distant  and  unknown.  They  are  often  seen  in  Tan- 
giers.  They  are  tall  and  robust  men,  dressed  in 
dark  mantles,  bordered  with  various  colors.  Some 
have  their  faces  ornamented  with  yellow  arabesques. 
All  are  armed  with  very  long  guns,  whose  red  cases 
they  twist  about  their  heads  like  turbans  ;  and  they 
go  in  companies,  speaking  low,  and  looking  about 
them  from  under  their  brows,  like  bravoes  in  search 
of  a  victim.  In  comparison  with  them,  the  wildest 
Arab  seems  a  life-long  friend. 

We  were  at  dinner  in  the  evening,  when  some 
gunshots  were  heard  from  the  square.  Everybody 
ran  to  see,  and  from  the  distance  a  strange  spectacle 
was  visible.  The  street  leading  to  the  Soc-de-Barra 
was  lighted  up  by  a  number  of  torches  carried  above 
the  heads  of  a  crowd  that  surrounded  a  large  box  or 
trunk,  borne  on  the  back  of  a  horse.  This  enig- 
matical procession  went  slowly  onward,  accom- 
panied by  melancholy  music,  and  a  sort  of  nasal 
chant,  piercing  yells,  the  barking  of  dogs,  and  the 
discharge  of  muskets.  I  speculated  for  a  moment 
as  to  whether  the  box  contained  a  corpse,  or  a  man 


28  MOROCCO. 

condemned  to  death,  or  a  monster,  or  some  animal 
destined  for  the  sacrifice,  and  then  turned  away  with 
a  sense  of  repugnance,  when  my  friends,  coming  in, 
gave  me  the  explanation  of  the  enigma.  It  was  a 
wedding  procession,  and  the  bride  was  in  the  box, 
being  carried  to  her  husband's  house. 

A  throng  of  Arabs,  men  and  women,  have  just 
gone  by,  preceded  by  six  old  men  carrying  large 
banners  of  various  colors,  and  all  together  singing 
in  high  shrill  voices  a  sort  of  prayer,  with  woful 
faces  and  supplicating  tones.  In  answer  to  my 
question,  I  am  told  that  they  are  entreating  Allah  to 
send  the  grace  of  rain.  I  followed  them  to  the  prin- 
cipal mosque,  and  not  being  then  aware  that  Chris- 
tians are  prohibited  from  entering  a  mosque,  was 
about  to  do  so,  when  an  old  Arab  suddenly  flew  at 
me,  and  saying  in  breathless  accents  something 
equivalent  to,  "  What  would  you  do,  unhappy 
wretch  ?  "  pushed  me  back  against  the  wall,  with  the 
action  of  one  who  removes  a  child  from  the  edge  of 
a  precipice.  I  was  obliged  to  content  myself  with 
looking  at  the  outside  only  of  the  sacred  edifice,  not 
much  grieved,  since  I  had  seen  the  splendid  and 
gigantic  mosques  of  Constantinople,  to  be  excluded 
from  those  of  Tangiers,  which,  with  the  exception 
of  the  minarets,  are  without  any  architectural  merit. 
Whilst  I  stood  there,  a  woman  behind  the  fountain 
in  the  court  made  a  gesture  at  me.  I  might  record 
that  she  blew  me  a  kiss,  but  truth  compels  me  to 
state  that  she  shook  her  fist  at  me. 


TANGIERS.  29 

I  have  been  up  to  the  Casba,  or  castle,  posted 
upon  a  hill  that  dominates  Tangiers.  It  is  a  cluster 
of  small  buildings,  encircled  by  old  walls,  where  the 
authorities,  with  some  soldiers,  and  prisoners  are 
housed.  We  found  no  one  but  two  drowsy  senti- 
nels seated  before  the  gate,  at  the  end  of  a  deserted 
square,  and  some  beggars  stretched  on  the  ground, 
scorched  by  the  sun,  and  devoured  by  flies.  From 
hence  the  eye  embraces  the  whole  of  Tangiers, 
which  extends  from  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  the  Casba, 
and  runs  up  the  flanks  of  another  hill.  The  sight 
is  almost  dazzled  by  so  much  snowy  whiteness,  re- 
lieved only  here  and  there  by  the  green  of  a  fig-tree 
imprisoned  between  wall  and  wall.  One  can  see  the 
terraces  of  all  the  houses,  the  minarets  of  the 
mosques,  the  flags  of  the  Legations,  the  battlements 
of  the  walls,  the  solitary  beach,  the  deserted  bay, 
the  mountains  of  the  coast — a  vast,  silent,  and 
splendid  spectacle,  which  would  relieve  the  sting  of 
the  heaviest  homesickness.  Whilst  I  stood  in  con- 
templation, a  voice,  coming  from  above,  struck  upon 
my  ear,  acute  and  tremulous,  and  with  a  strange  in- 
tonation. It  was  not  until  after  some  minutes'  search 
that  I  discovered  upon  the  minaret  of  the  mosque  of 
the  Casba,  a  small  black  spot,  the  muezzin,  who  was 
calling  the  faithful  to  prayer,  and  throwing  out  to 
the  four  winds  of  heaven  the  names  of  Allah  and 
Mahomet.  Then  the  melancholy  silence  reigned 
once  more. 

It  is  a  calamity  to  have  to  change  money  in  this 


30  MOKOCCO. 

country.  I  gave  a  French  franc  to  a  tobacconist,  who 
was  to  give  me  back  ten  sous  in  change.  The  fero- 
cious Moor  opened  a  box  and  began  to  throw  out 
handfuls  of  black,  shapeless  coins,  until  there  was  a 
heap  big  enough  for  an  ordinary  porter,  counted  it 
all  quickly  over,  and  waited  for  me  to  put  it  in  my 
pocket.  "  Excuse  me,"  said  I,  trying  to  get  back 
my  franc,  "  I  am  not  strong  enough  to  buy  any  thing 
in  your  shop."  However,  we  arranged  matters  by 
my  taking  more  cigars,  and  carrying  off  a  pocketful 
of  that  horrible  money.  It  appears  that  it  is  called 
flu,  and  is  made  of  copper,  worth  one  centime 
apiece  now,  and  sinking  every  day  in  value.  Mo- 
rocco is  inundated  with  it,  and  one  need  not  inquire 
further  when  one  knows  that  the  Government  pays 
with  this  money,  but  receives  nothing  but  gold  and 
silver.  But  every  evil  has  its  good  side  they  say, 
and  these  flu,  bane  of  commerce  as  they  are,  have 
the  inestimable  virtue  of  preserving  the  people  of 
Morocco  from  the  evil  eye,  thanks  to  the  so-called 
rings  of  Solomon,  a  six-pointed  star  engraven  on 
one  side — an  image  of  the  real  ring  buried  in  the 
tomb  of  the  great  king,  who,  with  it,  commanded 
the  good  and  evil  genii. 

There  is  but  one  public  promenade,  and  that  is 
the  beach,  which  extends  from  the  city  to  Cape 
Malabat,  a  beach  covered  with  shells  and  refuse 
thrown  up  by  the  sea,  and  having  numerous  large 
pieces  of  water,  difficult  to  guard  against  at  high 
tide.  Here  are  the  Champs  Elysees  and  the  Cascine 


TANGIERS.  31 

of  Tangiers.  The  hour  for  walking  is  the  evening 
toward  sunset.  At  that  time  there  are  generally 
about  fifty  Europeans,  in  groups  and  couples,  scat- 
tered at  a  hundred  paces'  distance  from  each  other, 
so  that  from  the  walls  of  the  city  individuals  are 
easily  recognized.  I  can  see  from  my  stand-point  an 
English  lady  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a 
guide  ;  beyond,  two  Moors  from  the  country  ;  then 
come  the  Spanish  Consul  and  his  wife,  and  after 
them  a  saint  ;  then  a  French  nurse-maid  with  two 
children  ;  then  a  number  of  Arab  women  wading 
through  a  pool,  and  uncovering  their  knees — the 
better  to  cover  their  faces  ;  and  further  on,  at  inter- 
vals, a  tall  hat,  a  white  hood,  a  chignon,  and  some 
one  who  must  be  the  secretary  of  the  Portuguese 
Legation,  wearing  the  light  trowsers  that  came  yes- 
terday from  Gibraltar — for  in  this  small  European 
colony  the  smallest  events  are  public  property.  If 
it  were  not  disrespectful,  I  should  say  that  they  look 
like  a  company  of  condemned  criminals  out  for  a 
regulation  walk,  or  hostages  held  by  the  pirates  of  a 
savage  island,  on  the  lookout  for  the  vessel  that  is 
to  bring  their  ransom. 

It  is  infinitely  easier  to  find  your  way  in 
London  than  among  this  handful  of  houses  that 
could  all  be  put  in  one  corner  of  Hyde  Park.  All 
these  lanes,  and  alleys,  and  little  squares,  where  one 
has  scarcely  room  to  pass,  are  so  exactly  like  each 
other  that  nothing  short  of  the  minutest  observation 
can  enable  you  to  distinguish  one  from  the  other. 


32  MOROCCO. 

At  present,  I  lose  myself  the  very  instant  that  I 
leave  the  main  street  and  the  principal  square.  In 
one  of  these  silent  corridors,  in  full  daylight,  two 
Arabs  could  bind  and  gag  me,  and  cause  me  to  van- 
ish for  ever  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  without  any 
one,  save  themselves,  being  the  wiser.  And  yet  a 
Christian  can  wander  alone  through  this  labyrinth, 
among  these  barbarians,  with  greater  security  than 
in  our  cities.  A  few  European  flags  erected  over  a 
terrace,  like  the  menacing  index  ringer  of  a  hidden 
hand,  are  sufficient  to  obtain  that  which  a  legion  of 
armed  men  cannot  obtain  among  us.  What  a  differ- 
ence between  London  and  Tangiers !  But  each 
city  has  its  own  advantages.  There,  there  are  great 
palaces  and  underground  railways  ,  here,  you  can  go 
into  a  crowd  with  your  overcoat  unbuttoned. 

There  is  not  in  all  Tangiers  either  cart  or  car- 
riage ;  you  hear  no  clang  of  bell,  nor  cry  of  itinerant 
vendor,  nor  sound  of  busy  occupation  ;  you  see  no 
hasty  movement  of  persons  or  of  things  ;  even  Eu- 
ropeans, not  knowing  what  to  do  with  themselves, 
stay  for  hours  motionless  in  the  square ;  every  thing 
reposes  and  invites  to  repose.  I  myself,  who  have 
been  here  only  a  few  days,  begin  to  feel  the  influ- 
ence of  this  soft  and  somnolent  existence.  Getting 
as  far  as  the  Soc-de-Barra,  I  am  irresistibly  impelled 
homeward  ;  I  read  ten  pages,  and  the  book  falls 
from  my  hand  ;  if  once  I  let  my  head  fall  back  upon 
the  easy  chair,  it  is  all  over  with  me,  and  the  very 
thought  of  care  or  occupation  is  sufficient  to  fatigue 


TANGIERS.  33 

me.  This  sky,  for  ever  blue,  and  this  snow-white 
city  form  an  image  of  unalterable  peace,  which,  even 
with  its  monotony,  becomes,  little  by  little,  the  su- 
preme end  of  life  to  all  who  inhabit  this  country. 

Among  the  numerous  figures  that  buzzed  about 
the  doors  of  the  Legation,  there  was  a  young  Moor 
who  had  from  the  first  attracted  my  eye  ;  one  of  the 
handsomest  men  whom  I  saw  in  Morocco  ;  tall  and 
slender,  with  dark,  melancholy  eyes,  and  the  sweet- 
est of  smiles  ;  the  face  of  an  enamoured  Sultan, 
whom  Danas,  the  malign  genius  of  the  "  Arabian 
Nights,"  might  have  placed  beside  the  Princess  Ba- 
doura,  instead  of  Prince  Camaralzaman,  sure  that 
she  would  have  made  no  objection  to  the  change. 
He  was  called  Mahomet,  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  the  son  of  a  well-to-do  Moor  of  Tangiers,  a  big 
and  honest  Mussulman  protected  by  the  Italian  Le- 
gation, who,  having  been  for  some  time  menaced 
with  death  by  the  hand  of  an  enemy,  came  every 
day  with  a  frightened  visage  to  claim  the  protection 
of  the  Minister.  This  Mahomet  spoke  a  little  Span- 
ish, after  the  Moorish  fashion,  with  all  the  verbs  in  the 
infinitive,  and  had  thereby  made  acquaintance  with 
my  companions.  He  had.  been  married  only  a  few 
days.  His  father  had  given  him  a  child  of  fifteen  for 
a  wife,  who  was  as  beautiful  as  he.  But  matrimony 
had  not  changed  his  habits  ;  he  remained,  as  we 
say,  a  Moor  of  the  future — that  is  to  say,  he  drank 
wine,  under  the  rose,  smoked  cigars,  was  tired  of 
Tangiers,  frequented  the  society  of  Europeans,  and 


34  MOROCCO. 

looked  forward  to  a  voyage  to  Spain.  In  these  days, 
however,  what  drew  him  toward  us  was  the  desire 
of  obtaining,  through  our  intervention,  permission  to 
join  the  caravan,  to  go  and  see  Fez,  the  great  me- 
tropolis, his  Rome,  the  dream  of  his  childhood  ;  and 
with  this  end  he  expended  salutations,  smiles,  and 
grasps  of  the  hand,  with  a  prodigality  and  grace  that 
would  have  seduced  the  entire  imperial  harem.  Like 
most  young  Moors  of  his  condition,  he  killed  time  in 
lounging  from  street  to  street,  and  from  corner  to 
corner,  talking  about  the  Minister's  new  horses,  or 
the  departure  of  a  friend  for  Gibraltar,  or  the  arrival 
of  a  ship,  or  any  topic  that  came  uppermost  ;  or  else 
he  stood  like  a  statue,  silent  and  motionless,  in  a 
corner  of  the  market-place,  with  his  thoughts  no  one 
knows  where.  With  this  handsome  idler  are  bound 
up  my  recollections  of  the  first  Moorish  house  in 
which  I  put  my  foot,  and  the  first  Arab  dinner  at 
which  I  risked  my  palate.  His  father  one  day  in- 
vited me  to  dinner,  thus  fulfilling  an  old  wish  of 
mine.  Late  one  evening,  guided  by  an  interpreter, 
and  accompanied  by  four  servants  of  the  Legation, 
I  found  myself  at  an  arabesque  door,  which  opened 
as  if  by  enchantment  at  our  approach  ;  and  crossing 
a  white  and  empty  chamber,  we  entered  the  court  of 
the  house.  The  first  impression  produced  was  that 
of  a  great  confusion  of  people,  a  strange  light  and  a 
marvellous  pomp  of  color.  We  were  received  by 
the  master  of  the  house  and  his  sons  and  relations, 
all  crowned  with  large  white  turbans  ;  behind  them 


MAHOMKT. 


TANGIERS.  35 

were  some  hooded  servants  ;  beyond,  in  the  dark 
corners,  and  peeping  through  door- ways,  the  curious 
faces  of  women  and  children  ;  and  despite  the  num- 
ber of  persons,  a  profound  silence.  I  thought  my- 
self in  a  room,  until  raising  my  eyes,  I  saw  the  stars, 
and  found  that  we  were  in  a  central  court,  upon 
either  side  of  which  opened  two  long  and  lofty 
chambers  without  windows,  each  having  a  great 
arched  door-way  closed  only  by  a  curtain.  The  ex- 
ternal walls  were  white  as  snow,  the  arches  of  the 
doors  dentellated,  the  pavements  in  mosaic  ;  here 
and  there  a  window,  and  a  niche  for  slippers.  The 
house  had  been  decorated  for  our  coming  ;  carpets 
covered  the  pavement  ;  great  chandeliers  stood  on 
either  side  of  the  doors,  with  red,  yellow,  and  green 
candles  ;  on  the  tables  were  flowers  and  mirrors. 
The  effect  was  very  strange.  There  was  something 
of  the  air  of  church  decorations,  and  something  ot 
the  ballroom  and  the  theatre  ;  artificial,  but  very 
pretty  and  graceful,  and  the  distribution  of  light  and 
arrangement  of  colors  were  very  effective. 

Some  moments  were  spent  in  salutations  and 
vigorous  grasps  of  the  hand,  and  we  were  then  in- 
vited to  visit  the  bridal  chamber.  It  was  a  long, 
narrow,  and  lofty  room,  opening  on  the  court.  At 
the  end,  on  either  side,  stood  the  two  beds,  decor- 
ated with  a  rich,  dark  red  stuff,  with  coverlets  of 
lace  ;  thick  carpets  covered  the  pavement,  and  hang- 
ings of  red  and  yellow  concealed  the  walls.  Be- 
tween the  two  beds  was  suspended  the  wife's  ward- 


3<5  MOROCCO. 

robe  :  bodices,  petticoats,  drawers,  gowns  of  un- 
known form,  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  in  wool, 
silk,  and  velvet,  bordered  and  starred  with  gold  and 
silver  ;  the  trousseau  of  a  royal  doll  ;  a  sight  to  turn 
the  head  of  a  ballet-dancer,  and  make  a  columbine 
die  with  envy.  From  thence  we  passed  into  the 
dining-room.  Here  also  were  carpets  and  hangings, 
flowers,  tall  chandeliers  standing  on  the  floor,  cush- 
ions and  pillows  of  all  colors  spread  against  the 
walls,  and  two  gorgeous  beds,  for  this  was  the  nup- 
tial chamber  of  the  parents.  The  table  stood  all 
prepared  near  one  of  the  beds,  contrary  to  the  Arab 
custom,  which  is  to  put  the  dishes  on  the  floor  and 
eat  with  the  fingers  ;  and  upon  it  glittered  an  array 
of  bottles,  charged,  to  remind  us,  in  the  midst  of  a 
Moorish  banquet,  that  Christians  existed.  Before 
taking  our  places  at  table,  we  seated  ourselves 
cross-legged  on  the  carpets,  around  the  master's 
secretary,  who  prepared  tea  before  us,  and  made  us 
take,  according  to  custom,  three  cups  a-piece,  ex- 
cessively sweetened,  and  flavored  with  mint ;  and 
between  each  cup  we  caressed  the  shaven  head  and 
braided  tail  of  a  pretty  four-year-old  boy,  Mahom- 
et's youngest  brother,  who  furtively  counted  the  fin- 
gers on  our  hands,  in  order  to  make  sure  that  we 
had  the  same  number  as  a  Mussulman,  and  no  more. 
After  tea  we  took  our  seats  at  table,  and  the  master, 
being  entreated,  seated  himself  also  ;  and  then  the 
Arab  dishes,  objects  of  our  intense  curiosity,  began 
to  circulate.  I  tasted  the  first  with  simple  faith. 


TANGIERS.  37 

Great  heaven  !  My  first  impulse  was  to  attack  the 
cook.  All  the  contractions  that  can  be  produced 
upon  the  face  of  a  man  who  is  suddenly  assailed  by 
an  acute  colic,  or  who  hears  the  news  of  his  banker's 
failure,  were,  I  think,  visible  on  mine.  I  understood 
in  one  moment  how  it  was  that  a  people  who  ate  in 
that  way  should  believe  in  another  God,  and  take 
other  views  of  human  life  than  ours.  I  cannot  ex- 
press what  I  felt  otherwise  than  by  likening  myself 
to  some  unhappy  wretch  who  is  forced  to  satisfy  his 
appetite  upon  the  pomatum  pots  of  his  barber. 
There  were  flavors  of  soaps,  pomades,  wax,  dyes, 
cosmetics — every  thing  that  is  least  proper  to  be  put 
in  a  human  mouth.  At  each  dish  we  exchanged 
glances  of  wonder  and  dismay.  No  doubt  the  origi- 
nal material  was  good  enough — chickens,  mutton, 
game,  fish  ;  large  dishes  of  a  very  fine  appearance, 
but  all  swimming  in  most  abominable  sauces,  and  so 
flavored  and  perfumed  that  it  would  have  seemed 
more  natural  to  attack  them  with  a  comb  rather  than 
with  a  fork.  However,  we  were  in  duty  bound  to 
swallow  something,  "and  the  only  eatable  thing 
seemed  to  be  mutton  on  a  spit.  Not  even  the  famous 
cbscussu,  the  national  Moorish  dish,  which  bore  a 
perfidious  resemblance  to  our  Milanese  risotto,  could 
we  get  down  without  a  pang.  There  was  one 
among  us  who  managed  to  taste  of  all ;  a  consola- 
tory fact  which  shows  that  there  are  still  great  men 
in  Italy.  At  every  mouthful  our  host  humbly  inter- 
rogated us  by  a  look  ;  and  we,  opening  our  eyes 


38  MOROCCO. 

very  wide,  answered  in  chorus,  "  Excellent !  exqui- 
site !  "  and  hastened  to  swallow  a  glass  of  wine  to 
revive  our  drooping  courage.  At  a  certain  moment 
there  burst  out  in  the  court- yard  a  gust  of  strange 
music  that  made  us  all  spring  to  our  feet.  There 
were  three  musicians  come,  according  to  Moorish 
custom,  to  enliven  the  banquet  :  three  large-eyed 
Arabs,  dressed  in  white  and  red,  one  with  a  theorbo, 
another  with  a  mandolin,  and  a  third  with  a  small 
drum.  All  three  were  seated  on  the  ground  in  the 
court-yard,  near  a  niche  where  their  slippers  were 
deposited.  Little  by  little,  our  libations,  the  odor  of 
the  flowers,  and  that  of  aloes  burning  in  carved  per- 
fume-burners of  Fez,  and  that  strange  Arab  music, 
which,  by  dint  of  repetition,  takes  possession  of  the 
fancy  with  its  mysterious  lament,  all  overcame  us 
with  a  sort  of  taciturn  and  fantastic  dreaminess,  un- 
der the  influence  of  which  we  felt  our  heads  crowned 
with  turbans,  and  visions  of  sultanas  floated  before 
our  eyes. 

The  dinner  over,  all  rose  and  spread  themselves 
about  the  room,  the  court,  or  the  vestibule,  looking 
into  every  corner  with  childlike  curiosity.  At  every 
dark  angle  stood  an  Arab  wrapped  in  his  white  man- 
tle like  a  statue.  The  door  of  the  bridal  chamber 
had  been  closed  by  a  curtain,  and  through  the  inter- 
stices a  great  movement  of  veiled  heads  could  be 
seen.  Lights  appeared  and  disappeared  at  the  up- 
per windows,  and  low  voices  and  the  rustle  of  gar- 
ments were  heard  on  all  sides.  About  and  above  us 


TANGIERS.  39 

fermented  an  invisible  life,  bearing  witness  that 
though  within  the  walls  we  were  without  the  house- 
hold ;  that  beauty,  love,  the  family  soul,  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  penetralia  ;  that  we  were  the  spectacle 
while  the  house  remained  a  mystery.  At  a  certain 
moment  the  Minister's  housekeeper  came  out  of  a 
small  door,  where  she  had  been  visiting  the  bride, 
and,  passing  by  us,  murmured,  "Ah,  if  you  could  see 
her!  What  a  rosebud!  What  a  creature  of  para- 
dise !  "  And  the  sad  lamenting  music  went  on,  and 
the  perfumed  aloe  smoke  arose,  and  our  fancies 
grew  more  and  more  active,  more  so  than  ever,  when 
we  issued  forth  from  that  air  filled  with  light  and 
perfume,  and  plunged  into  a  dark  and  solitary  alley, 
lighted  only  by  one  lantern,  and  surrounded  by  pro- 
foundest  silence. 

One  evening  we  received  the  not  unexpected  in- 
telligence that  the  next  day  the  Aissawa  would  en- 
ter the  city.  The  Aissawa  are  one  of  the  principal 
religious  confraternities  of  Morocco,  founded,  like 
the  others,  under  the  inspiration  of  God,  by  a  saint 
called  Sidi- Mohammed-ben- Aissa,  born  at  Mek'inez 
two  centuries  ago.  His  life  is  a  long  and  confused 
legend  of  miracles  and  fabulous  events,  variously 
related.  The  Aissawa  propose  to  themselves  to  ob- 
tain the  special  protection  of  heaven,  praying  con- 
tinually, exercising  certain  practices  peculiar  to 
themselves,  and  keeping  alive  in  their  hearts  a  cer- 
tain religious  fever,  a  divine  fury,  which  breaks  out 
in  extravagant  and  ferocious  manifestations.  They 


40  MOROCCO. 

have  a  great  mosque  at  Fez,  which  is  the  central 
house  of  the  order,  and  from  thence  they  spread 
themselves  every  year  over  the  provinces  of  the 
empire,  gathering  together  as  they  go  those  mem- 
bers of  the  brotherhood  who  are  in  the  towns  and 
villages.  Their  rites,  similar  to  those  of  the  howling 
and  whirling  Dervishes  of  the  East,  consist  in  a  species 
of  frantic  dances,  interspersed  with  leaps,  yells,  and 
contortions,  in  the  practice  of  which  they  grow  ever 
more  furious  and  ferocious,  until,  losing  the  light  of 
reason,  they  crush  wood  and  iron  with  their  teeth, 
burn  their  flesh  with  glowing  coals,  wound  them- 
selves with  knives,  swallow  mud  and  stones,  brain 
animals  and  devour  them  alive  and  dripping  with 
blood,  and  finally  fall  to  the  ground  insensible.  The 
Aissawa  whom  I  saw  at  Tangiers  did  not  go  to  quite 
such  extremities,  and  probably  they  seldom  do,  but 
they  did  quite  enough  to  leave  an  indelible  impres- 
sion on  my  memory. 

The  Belgian  Minister  invited  us  to  see  the  specta- 
cle from  the  terrace  of  his  house,  which  looked  over 
the  principal  street  of  Tangiers,  where  the  Aissawa 
generally  passed  on  their  way  to  their  mosque. 
They  were  to  pass  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
coming  in  at  the  Soc-de-Barra.  At  nine  the  street 
was  already  full  of  people,  and  the  tops  of  the 
houses  crowded  with  Arab  and  Jewish  women  in  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  giving  to  the  \vhite  ter- 
races the  look  of  great  baskets  of  flowers.  At  the 
given  hour  all  eyes  were  turned  toward  the  £ate  at 


TANGIERS.  41 

the  end  of  the  street,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  lead- 
ers of  the  procession  appeared.  The  street  was  so 
thronged  with  people  that  for  some  time  nothing 
could  be  seen  but  a  waving  mass  of  hooded  heads, 
amid  which  shone  out  a  few  shaven  skulls.  Above 
them  floated  here  and  there  a  banner ;  and  now  and 
then  a  cry  as  of  many  voices  broke  forth.  The 
crowd  moved  forward  slowly.  Little  by  little  a  cer- 
tain order  and  regularity  in  the  movement  of  all 
these  heads  became  visible.  The  first  formed  a 
circle  ;  others  beyond  a  double  file  ;  others  again 
beyond  another  circle  ;  then  the  first  in  their  turn 
broke  into  a  double  line,  the  second  formed  in  a 
circle,  and  so  on.  But  I  am  not  very  sure  of  what 
I  say,  because  in  the  eager  curiosity  which  possessed 
me  to  observe  single  figures  it  is  possible  that  the 
precise  laws  of  the  general  movement  escaped  me. 
My  first  impression  as  they  arrived  below  our  ter- 
race was  one  of  pity  and  horror  combined.  There 
were  two  lines  of  men,  facing  each  other,  wrapped 
in  mantles  and  long  white  shirts,  holding  each  other 
by  the  hands,  arms,  or  shoulders,  and,  with  a  rock- 
ing swaying  motion,  stepping  in  cadence,  throwing 
their  heads  backward  and  forward,  and  keeping  up 
a  low  eager  murmur,  broken  by  groans,  and  sighs, 
and  sobs  of  rage  and  terror.  Only  "The  Possesed," 
by  Rubens,  "  The  Dead  Alive,"  by  Goya,  and  "  The 
Dead  Man  Magnetized  "  of  Edgar  Poe,  could  give 
an  idea  of  those  figures.  There  were  faces  livid  and 
convulsed,  v/ith  eyes  starting  from  the  sockets,  and 


42  MOROCCO. 

foaming  mouths  ;  faces  of  the  fever-stricken  and  the 
epileptic  ;  some  illuminated  by  an  unearthly  smile, 
some  showing  only  the  whites  of  their  eyes,  others 
contracted  as  by  atrocious  spasms,  or  pallid  and 
rigid,  like  corpses.  From  time  to  time,  making  a 
strange  gesture  with  their  outstretched  arms,  they 
all  burst  out  together  in  a  shrill  and  painful  cry,  as 
of  men  in  mortal  agony  ;  then  the  dance  forward 
began  again,  with  its  accompaniment  of  groans  and 
sobs,  while  hoods  and  mantles,  wide  sleeves  and 
long  disordered  hair,  streamed  on  the  wind,  and 
whirled  about  them  with  snake-like  undulations. 
Some  rushed  from  one  side  to  the  other,  staggering 
like  drunken  men,  or  beating  themselves  against 
walls  and  doors  ;  others,  as  if  rapt  in  ecstasy,  moved 
along,  stiff  and  rigid,  with  head  thrown  back,  eyes 
half  closed,  and  arms  swinging ;  and  some,  quite 
exhausted,  unable  any  longer  to  yell,  or  to  keep  on 
their  feet,  were  held  up  under  the  arms  by  their 
companions,  and  dragged  along  with  the  crowd. 
The  dance  became  every  moment  more  frantic,  and 
the  noise  more  deafening,  while  a  nauseous  smell 
came  up  from  all  those  bodies  like  the  odor  of  a 
menagerie  of  wild  beasts.  Here  and  there  a  con- 
vulsed visage  turned  upward  toward  our  terrace,  and 
a  pair  of  staring  eyes  were  fixed  on  mine,  constrain- 
ing me  to  turn  away  my  face.  The  spectacle  affected 
me  in  different  ways.  Now  it  seemed  a  great  mas- 
querade, and  tempted  me  to  laugh  ;  then  it  was  a 
procession  of  madmen,  of  creatures  in  the  delirium 


TANGIERS.  43 

of  fever,  of  drunken  wretches,  or  those  condemned 
to  death  and  striving  to  deaden  their  own  terror, 
and  my  heart  swelled  with  compassion  ;  and  again, 
the  savage  grandeur  of  the  picture  pleased  my  ar- 
tistic sense.  But  gradually  my  mind  accepted  the 
inner  meaning  of  the  rite,  and  I  comprehended  what 
all  of  us  have  more  or  less  experienced — the  spasms 
of  the  human  soul  under  the  dread  pressure  of  the 
Infinite  ;  and  unconsciously  my  thoughts  explained 
the  mystery :  Yes  ;  I  feel  Thee,  mysterious  and 
tremendous  Power  ;  I  struggle  in  the  grasp  of  the 
invisible  hand  ;  the  sense  of  Thee  oppresses  me,  I 
cannot  contain  it  ;  my  heart  is  dismayed,  my  reason 
is  lost,  my  garment  of  clay  is  rent.  And  still  they 
went  by,  a  pallid  and  dishevelled  mass,  raising  voices 
of  pain  and  supplication,  and  seeming  in  their  last 
agony.  One  old  man,  an  image  of  distracted  Lear, 
broke  from  the  ranks,  and  tried  to  dash  his  head 
against  a  wall,  his  companions  holding  him  back.  A 
youth  fell  head  foremost  to  the  ground,  and  remained 
there  insensible.  Another,  with  streaming  hair  and 
face  hidden  in  his  hands,  went  by  with  long  steps, 
his  body  bent  almost  to  the  earth,  like  one  accursed 
of  God.  Bedouins  were  among  them,  Berbers, 
blacks,  mummies,  giants,  satyrs,  cannibal  faces,  faces 
of  saints,  of  birds  of  prey,  of  Indian  idols,  furies, 
fauns,  devils.  There  were  between  three  and  four 
hundred,  and  in  half  an  hour  they  had  all  gone  by., 
The  last  were  two  women  (for  they  also  belong  to 
the  order),  looking  as  if  they  had  been  buried  alive, 


44  MOROCCO. 

and  had  escaped  from  their  tomb, — two  animated 
skeletons  dressed  in  white,  with  hair  streaming  over 
their  faces,  straining  eyes,  and  mouths  white  with 
foam,  exhausted,  but  still  moving  along  with  the 
unconscious  action  of  machines  ;  and  between  them 
marched  a  gigantic  old  man,  like  an  aged  sorcerer. 
Dressed  in  a  long  white  shirt,  and  stretching  out  two 
bony  arms,  he  placed  his  hands  now  on  one  head, 
now  on  the  other,  with  a  gesture  of  protection,  and 
helped  them  to  rise  when  they  fell.  Behind  these 
three  spectres  came  a  throng  of  armed  Arabs,  wom- 
en, beggars,  and  children  ;  and  all  the  mass  of  bar- 
barism and  horrid  human  misery  broke  into  the 
square,  and  was  dispersed  in  a  few  minutes  about  the 
city. 

Another  fine  spectacle  that  we  had  at  Tangiers 
was  that  of  the  festival  of  the  birth  of  Mahomet ;  and 
it  made  the  greater  impression  upon  me  that  I  saw 
it  unexpectedly.  Returning  from  a  walk  on  the  sea- 
shore, I  heard  some  shots  in  the  direction  of  the 
Soc-de-Barra.  I  turned  my  steps  in  that  direction, 
and  at  first  found  it  difficult  to  recognize  the  place. 
The  Soc-de-Barra  was  transfigured.  From  the  walls 
of  the  city  up  to  the  summit  of  the  hill  swarmed  a 
crowd  of  white-robed  Arabs,  all  in  the  highest  state 
of  animation.  There  might  have  been  about  three 
thousand  persons,  but  so  scattered  and  grouped  that 
they  appeared  innumerable.  It  was  a  most  singular 
optical  illusion.  On  all  the  heights  around,  as  upon 
so  many  balconies,  were  groups  seated  in  Oriental 


TANGIERS.  45 

fashion,  motionless,  and  turned  toward  the  lower 
part  of  the  Soc,  where  the  crowd — divided  into  two 
portions — left  a  large  space  free  for  the  evolutions 
of  a  company  of  cavalry,  who,  ranged  in  a  line,  gal- 
loped about,  discharging  their  long  guns  in  the  air. 
On  the  other  side  an  immense  circle  of  Arab  men 
and  women  were  looking  on  at  the  games  of  ball- 
players, fencers,  serpent-charmers,  dancers,  singers 
and  musicians,  and  soldiers.  Upon  the  top  of  the 
hill,  under  a  conical  tent  open  in  front,  could  be  dis- 
cerned the  enormous  white  turban  of  the  Vice-Gov- 
ernor  of  Tangiers,  who  presided  at  the  festival, 
seated  on  the  ground  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of 
Moors.  From  above  could  be  seen  in  the  crowd 
the  soldiers  of  the  Legations,  dressed  in  their  showy 
red  caftans,  a  few  tall  hats,  and  European  parasols, 
and  one  or  two  artists,  sketch-book  in  hand,  while 
Tangiers  and  the  sea  formed  a  background  to  the 
whole.  The  discharge  of  musketry,  the  yells  of  the 
cavalry,  the  tinkle  of  the  water-sellers'  bells,  the  joy- 
ful cries  of  the  women,  the  noise  of  pipes,  horns,  and 
drums,  made  up  a  fitting  accompaniment  to  the 
strange  and  savage  spectacle,  bathed  in  the  burn- 
ing noon-day  light. 

My  curiosity  impelled  me  to  look  everywhere  at 
once,  but  a  sudden  scream  of  admiration  from  a 
group  of  women  made  me  turn  to  the  horsemen. 
There  were  twelve  of  them,  all  of  tall  stature,  with 
pointed  red  caps,  white  mantles,  and  blue,  orange, 
and  red  caftans,  and  among  them  was  a  youth, 


46  MOROCCO. 

dressed  with  feminine  elegance,  the  son  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Rif.  They  drew  up  in  a  line  against  the 
wall  of  the  city,  with  faces  toward  the  open  country. 
The  son  of  the  Governor,  in  the  middle,  raised  his 
hand,  and  all  started  in  full  career.  At  first  there 
was  a  slight  hesitation  and  confusion,  but  in  a  mo- 
ment the  twelve  horsemen  formed  but  one  solid  ser- 
ried line,  and  skimmed  over  the  ground  like  a 
twelve-headed  and  many-colored  monster  devouring 
the  way. 

Nailed  to  their  saddles,  with  heads  erect,  and  white 
mantles  streaming  in  the  wind  of  their  career,  they 
lifted  their  guns  above  their  heads,  and,  pressing 
them  against  their  shoulders,  discharged  them  all  to- 
gether, with  a  yell  of  triumph,  and  then  vanished  in 
a  cloud  of  smoke  and  dust.  A  few  moments 
after  they  came  back  slowly  and  in  disorder — the 
horses  covered  with  foam  and  blood,  their  riders 
bearing  themselves  proudly,  and  then  they  began 
again.  At  every  new  discharge,  the  Arab  women, 
like  ladies  at  a  tourney,  saluted  them  with  a  peculiar 
cry,  that  is  a  rapid  repetition  of  the  monosyllable  Ju 
(or  in  English  jy#)  like  a  sort  of  joyous  trill. 

We  went  to  look  at  the  ball-players.  About  fif- 
teen Arab  boys  and  men — some  of  the  latter  with 
white  beards — some  with  sabres,  some  with  guns 
slung  across  their  shoulders,  were  tossing  a  leathern 
ball  about  as  big  as  an  orange.  One  would  take  it, 
let  it  fall,  and  send  it  into  the  air  with  a  blow  of  his 
foe*  ;  all  the  others  rushed  to  catch  it  before  it  fell. 


TANGIERS.  47 

The  one  who  caught  it  repeated  the  action  of  the 
first ;  and  so  the  group  of  players,  always  following 
the  ball,  were  in  constant  movement  from  one  point 
to  another.  The  curious  part  of  it  was  that  there 
was  not  a  word,  nor  a  cry,  nor  a  smile  among  them. 
Old  men  and  boys,  all  were  equally  serious  and  in- 
tent upon  the  game,  as  upon  some  necessary  labor, 
and  only  their  panting  breath  and  the  sound  of  their 
feet  could  be  heard. 

At  a  few  paces  farther  on,  within  another  circle  of 
spectators,  some  negroes  were  dancing  to  the  sound 
of  a  pipe  and  a  small  conical  drum,  beaten  with  a 
stick  in  the  shape  of  a  half  moon.  There  were  eight 
of  them — big,  black,  and  shining  like  ebony,  with 
nothing  on  them  but  a  long  white  shirt,  bound  round 
the  waist  by  a  thick  green  cord.  Seven  of  them 
held  each  other's  hand  in  a  ring,  while  the  eighth 
was  in  the  middle,  and  all  danced  together,  or  rather 
accompanied  the  music,  without  moving  from  their 
places,  but  with  a  certain  indescribable  movement  of 
the  hips,  and  that  satyr-like  grin,  that  expression  of 
stupid  beatitude  and  bestial  voluptuousness,  which  is 
peculiar  to  the  black  race.  Whilst  I  stood  looking 
on  at  this  scene,  two  boys,  about  ten  years  of  age, 
among  the  spectators,  gave  me  a  taste  of  the  ferocity 
of  Arab  blood.  They  suddenly — and  for  some  un- 
known reason — fell  upon  each  other,  and  clinging 
together  like  a  couple  of  young  tigers,  bit,  clawed, 
and  scratched,  with  a  fury  that  was  horrible  to  see. 
Two  strong  men  had  as  much  as  they  could  do  to 


48  MOROCCO. 

separate  them,  and  they  were  borne  off  all  bloody 
and  torn,  and  struggling  to  attack  each  other  again. 

The  fencers  made  me  laugh.  They  were  four, 
fencing  in  couples,  with  sticks.  The  extravagance 
and  awkwardness  of  this  performance  are  not  to  be 
described.  In  other  cities  in  Morocco  I  afterward 
saw  the  same  thing,  so  it  is  evidently  the  native 
school  of  fencing.  The  leaps,  contortions,  attitudes, 
and  waving  of  arms,  were  beyond  words,  and  all 
done  with  a  self-satisfied  air  that  was  enough  to 
make  one  fall  upon  them  with  their  own  sticks  and 
send  them  flying.  The  Arab  spectators,  however, 
stood  about  with  open  mouths,  and  frequently 
glanced  at  me,  as  if  to  enjoy  my  wonder  and  admi- 
ration, while  I,  willing  to  content  them,  affected  to  be 
much  delighted.  Then  some  of  them  drew  aside 
that  I  might  see  them  better,  and  I  presently  found 
myself  surrounded  and  pressed  on  all  sides  by  the 
Arabs,  and  was  able  to  satisfy  in  full  my  desire  to 
study  the  race  in  all  its  more  intimate  peculiarities. 
A  soldier  of  the  Italian  Legation,  seeing  me  in  these 
straits,  and  thinking  me  an  involuntary  prisoner,  came 
to  my  rescue,  rather  against  my  will,  with  fist  and 
elbows. 

The  circle  of  the  story-teller  was  the  most  inter- 
esting, though  the  smallest  of  all.  I  arrived  just  at 
the  moment  when  he  had  finished  the  usual  inaugu- 
ral prayer,  and  was  beginning  his  narrative.  He 
was  a  man  of  about  fifty,  almost  black,  with  a  jet- 
black  beard  and  gleaming  eyes,  wearing,  like  all 


TANGIERS.  49 

of  his  profession  in  Morocco,  an  ample  white  robe, 
bound  round  the  waist  with   a  camel's-hair  girdle, 
giving  him  the  majestic  air  of  an  antique  priest.    He 
spoke  in  a  high  voice,   and  slowly,  standing  erect 
within   the  circle   of  listeners,   while  two  musicians 
with  drum  and  hautboy  kept  up  a  low  accompani- 
ment.    I  could  not  understand  a  word,  but  his  face, 
voice,  and  gestures,  were  so  expressive  that   I  man- 
aged  to  gather   something   of  the  meaning  of  his 
story.    He  seemed  to  be  relating  a  tale  of  a  journey. 
Now  he   imitated   the  action  of  a  tired  horse,  and 
pointed  to  a  distant  and  immense  horizon  ;  then  he 
seemed  to  seek  about  for  a  drop  of  water,  and  his 
arms  and  head  dropped  as  if  in  complete  exhaustion. 
Suddenly  he  discovers  something  at  a  distance,  ap- 
pears uncertain,  believes*  and  doubts  the  evidence 
of  his  senses — again  believes,  is  re-animated,  hastens 
his  flagging  steps,  arrives,  gives  thanks  to  Heaven, 
and  throws  himself  on  the  earth  with  a  long  breath 
of  satisfaction,  smiling  with  pleasure  in  the  shade  of 
a  delightful  oasis.      The  audience  meanwhile  stood 
without  breath   or  motion,  suspended  on   the  lips  of 
the   orator,  and   reflecting   in   their  faces  his  every 
word  and  gesture.      The  ingenuousness  and  fresh- 
ness of  feeling  that  are  hidden  under  their  hard  and 
savage  exterior  became  plainly  visible.  As  the  story- 
teller  became   more  fervent  in   his    narrative,    and 
raised  his   voice,  the   two  musicians  blew  and  beat 
with  increasing  fury,  and  the  listeners  drew  closer 
together  in  the  intensity  of  their  interest,  until,  final- 


$O  MOROCCO. 

ly,  the  whole  culminated  in  one  grand  burst  ;  the 
musicians  threw  their  instruments  into  the  air,  and 
the  crowd  dispersed,  and  gave  place  to  another 
circle. 

There  were  three  performers   who  had  drawn  a 
large  audience  about  them.       One   played  on  a  sort 
of  bagpipes,  another  on  a  tambourine  with  bells,  and 
the  third  on  an  extraordinary  instrument  compound- 
ed of  a  clarionet  and  two  horns,  which  gave  forth 
most  discordant  sounds.       All  three  men  were   ban- 
dy-legged, tall,   and  with   backs  bent  into  a  curve. 
Wrapped  in  a  few  rags,  they  stood  side  by  side  close 
together  as  if  they  had  been  bound  one  to  the  other, 
and,  playing  an  air  which  they  had  probably  played 
for  fifty  years   or  more,  they  marched  around  the 
square.      Their  .movement  was  peculiar — something 
between  walking  and  dancing, — and  their  gestures  so 
extraordinary,  made   as  they  were  with  mechanical 
regularity  and  all  together,  that  I  imagine  them  to 
have  expressed  some  idea  founded  in  some  charac- 
teristic peculiarity  of  the  Arab  people.     Those  three, 
streaming  with  heat  from  every  pore,  played   and 
marched    about    for    more    than    an    hour    in    the 
fashion  I   have   described,  with  unalterable  gravity, 
while  a  hundred  or  so  of  lookers-on  stood,  with  the 
sun  in   their  eyes,  giving  no  outward  sign  either  of 
pleasure  or  of  weariness. 

The  noisiest  circle  was  that  of  the  soldiers.  There 
were  twelve,  old  and  young,  some  with  white  caftans, 
some  in  shirts  only,  one  with  a  fez,  another  in  a 


TANGIERS.  5 1 

hood,  and  all  armed  with  flint  muskets  as  long  as 
lances,  into  which  they  put  the  powder  loose, 
like  all  their  fellows  in  Morocco,  where  the  cartridge 
is  not  in  use.  An  old  man  directed  the  manoeuvres. 
They  ranged  themselves  in  two  rows  of  six  each, 
facing  one  another.  At  a  signal,  all  changed  places 
with  each  other,  running  and  putting  one  knee  to 
the  ground.  Then  one  of  them  struck  up,  in  a 
shrill  falsetto  voice,  a  sort  of  chant,  full  of  trills  and 
warblings,  which  lasted  a  few  minutes,  and  was  lis- 
tened to  in  perfect  silence.  Then  suddenly  they  all 
bounded  to  their  feet  in  a  circle,  and  with  an  im- 
mense leap  and  a  shout  of  joy,  fired  off  their  guns 
muzzle  downward.  The  rapidity,  the  fury,  and 
something  madly  festive  and  diabolically  cheerful  in 
the  performance,  are  not  to  be  described.  Among 
the  spectators  near  me  was  a  little  Arab  girl  about 
ten  years  old,  not  yet  veiled,  one  of  the  prettiest 
little  faces  I  saw  in  Tangiers,  of  a  delicate  pale 
bronze  in  color,  who,  with  her  large  blue  eyes  full  of 
wonder,  gazed  at  a  spectacle  much  more  marvellous 
to  her  than  that  of  the  soldiers'  dance  :  she  saw  me 
take  off  my  gloves,  which  Arab  boys  believe  to  be  a 
sort  of  second  skin  that  Christians  have  on  their 
hands,  and  can  remove  at  pleasure  without  incon- 
venience or  pain. 

I  hesitated  about  going  to  see  the  serpent-charm- 
ers, but  curiosity  overcame  repugnance.  These  so- 
called  magicians  belong  to  the  confraternity  of  the 
Aissawa,  and  pretend  to  have  received  from  their 


52  MOROCCO. 

patron,  Ben   Aissa,  the  privilege  of  enduring  unin- 
jured the  bite  of  the  most  venomous  beasts.     Many 
travellers,  in  fact,  most  worthy  of  belief,  assert  that 
they  have  seen  these  men  bitten  severely,  until  the 
blood  flowed,  by  serpents  that  a  moment  before  had 
shown  the  fatal  effect  of  their  venom  upon  some  an- 
imal.   The  Aissawa  whom  I  saw  gave  a  horrible  but 
bloodless  spectacle.     He  was  a  little   fellow,  muscu- 
lar, with  a  cadaverous   and  stern  countenance,  the 
air  of  a  Merovingian  king,  and  dressed  in  a  sort  of 
blue  shirt  that  came  down  to  his   heels.     When  I 
drew  near  he  was  engaged  in  jumping  grotesquely 
about    a   goat-skin    spread   on   the    ground,    upon 
which  was  a  sack  containing  the  serpents  ;  and  as 
he  jumped  he  sang,  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  flute, 
a  melancholy  song  that  was   perhaps  an   invocation 
to  his  saint.     The.  song  finished,  he  chattered  and 
gesticulated    for    some  time,    trying   to   get    some 
money  thrown  to  him,  and  then  kneeling  down   be- 
fore the  goat-skin,  he  thrust  his  arm   into  the   sack 
and  drew   out   a   long   greenish    snake,    extremely 
lively,  and  carried  it  round,  handling  it  very  care- 
fully, for  the  spectators  to  see.     This  done,  he  be- 
gan to  twist  it  about  in  all  directions,  and  generally 
use  it  as  if  it  had  been  a  rope.     He  seized  it  by  the 
neck,  he  suspended  it  by  the  tail,  he  bound  it  round 
his  head  like  a  fillet,  he  hid  it  in  his  bosom,  he  made 
it  pass  through  the  holes  in  the  edge  of  a  tambour- 
ine, he  threw  it  on  the  ground  and  set  his  foot  upon 
it,  he  stuck  it  under  his   arm.     The   horrible  beast 


TANGIERS.  53 

erected  its  head,  darted  out  its  tongue,  twisted  itself 
about  with  those  flexible,  odious,  abject  movements 
that  seem  the  expression  of  perfidious  baseness ; 
and  all  the  rage  that  burned  in  its  body  seemed  to 
shoot  in  sparkles  from  its  small  eyes  ;  but  I  could 
not  see  that  it  ever  once  attempted  to  bite  the  hand 
that  held  it.  After  this,  the  Aissawa  seized  the  ser- 
pent by  the  neck,  and  fixed  a  small  bit  of  iron  in  its 
mouth,  so  as  to  keep  it  open  and  display  the 
fangs  to  the  spectators  ;  and  then  taking  its  tail  be- 
tween his  teeth,  he  proceeded  to 'bite  it,  while  the 
beast  went  through  violent  contortions  ;  and  I  left 
the  place  in  horror  and  disgust. 

At  that  moment  our  charg6  a"  affaires  appeared 
in  the  Soc.  The  Vice-Governor  beheld  him  from 
the  hill,  ran  to  meet  him,  and  conducted  him  under 
the  tent,  where  all  the  members  of  the  future  cara- 
van, myself  included,  speedily  assembled.  Then 
came  soldiers  and  musicians,  and  an  immense  semi- 
circle of  Arabs  formed  itself  in  front  of  the  tent,  the 
men  in  front,  the  gentle  sex  in  groups  behind  ;  and 
then  began  a  wild  concert  of  songs,  dances,  yells, 
and  gunshots,  which  lasted  for  more  than  an  hour, 
in  the  midst  of  dense  clouds  of  smoke,  the  sounds  of 
barbaric  music,  the  enthusiastic  shouts  of  the  women 
and  children,  the  paternal  satisfaction  of  the  Vice-  « 
Governor,  and  our  great  amusement.  Before  it  was 
over,  the  charge"  d '  affaires  put  some  coins  into  the 
hand  of  an  Arab  soldier,  to  be  given  to  the  direc- 
tor of  the  spectacle,  and  the  soldier  presently  re- 


54  MOROCCO. 

turning,  delivere  J  the  following  odd  form  of  thanks, 
translated  into  Spanish  : — "  The  Italian  Ambassador 
has  done  a  good  action ;  may  Allah  bless  every  hair 
of  his  beard  !  " 

The  strange  festival  lasted  until  sunset.  Three 
water-sellers  were  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  needs  of 
all  that  crowd,  exposed  all  day  to  the  rays  of  the 
sun  of  Africa.  One  marengo  was  perhaps  the  ut- 
most of  the  sum  that  circulated  in  that  concourse 
of  people.  Their  only  pleasures  were  to  see  and 
hear.  There  was*  no  love-making,  no  drunkenness, 
no  knife-play, — nothing  in  common  with  the  holidays 
of  civilization. 

The  country  about  Tangiers  is  not  less  curious  to 
see  than  the  city.  Around  the  walls  extends  a  gir- 
dle of  gardens,  belonging  for  the  most  part  to  the 
ministers  and  consuls,  and  rather  neglected,  but  rich 
in  luxuriant  vegetation.  There  may  be  seen  long 
files  of  aloes,  like  gigantic  lances  bound  up  in 
sheaves  of  enormous  curved  dagger  blades,  for  such 
is  the  shape  of  their  leaves.  The  points,  with  the 
fibre  attached,  are  used  by  the  Arabs  to  sew  up 
wounds.  There  is  the  Indian  fig — in  the  Moorish 
tongue,  kermus  del  Inde — very  tall,  with  leaves  an 
inch  in  thickness,  and  growing  so  thickly  as  to  ob- 
struct the  paths  ;  the  common  fig,  under  whose 
shadow  ten  tents  could  be  erected  ;  oaks,  acacias, 
oleanders,  and  shrubs  of  every  sort,  that  interlace 
their  branches  with  those  of  the  highest  trees,  and 
with  the  ivy,  the  vine,  the  cane,  and  the  thorn,  forn? 


TANGIERS.  55 

a  tangled  mass  of  verdure  under  which  ditch  and 
footpath  are  entirely  concealed.  In  some  places  one 
has  to  grope  one's  way,  and  pass  from  one  enclos- 
ure to  another  through  thick,  thorny  hedges,  over 
prostrate  fences,  in  the  midst  of  grass  and  flowers 
as  high  as  one's  waist,  and  no  living  creature  to  be 
seen.  A  small  white  house,  and  a  well,  with  a 
wheel  by  means  of  which  the  water  is  sent  flowing 
through  little  trenches  dug  for  the  purpose,  are  the 
only  objects  which  indicate  the  presence  of  poverty 
and  labor.  Sometimes,  if  the  captain  of  the  staff, 
who  was  a  clever  guide,  had  not  been  with  me,  I 
should  have  lost  my  way  in  the  midst  of  that  wild 
vegetation  ;  and  we  often  had  to  call  out,  as  in  a 
labyrinth,  to  prevent  our  losing  each  other.  It  was 
a  pleasure  to  me  to  swim  amid  the  greenery, 
opening  the  way  with  hands  and  feet,  with  the  joy- 
ous excitement  of  a  savage  returned  from  slavery 
to  his  native  forest. 

Beyond  this  girdle  of  gardens  there  are  no  trees, 
or  houses,  or  hedges,  or  any  indication  of  bounda- 
ries ;  there  are  only  hills,  green  valleys,  and  undu- 
lating plains,  with  an  occasional  herd  of  cattle  pas- 
turing and  without  any  visible  herdsman,  or  a  horse 
turned  loose.  Once  only  did  I  see  any  tilling  of 
the  ground.  An  Arab  was  driving  an  ass  and  a  goat, 
harnessed  to  a  very  small  plough,  of  a  strange 
shape,  such  as  might  have  been  in  use  four  thousand 
years  ago,  and  which  turned  up  a  scarcely  visible 
furrow  in  the  stony,  weedy  earth.  I  have  been  as- 


56  MOROCCO. 

sured  that  it  is  not  unusual  to  see  a  donkey  and  a 
woman  ploughing  in  company,  and  this  will  give  an 
idea  of  the  state  of  agriculture  in  Morocco.  The 
only  attempt  at  manuring  is  to  burn  the  straw  left 
after  the  grain  is  gathered  ;  and  the  only  care  taken 
not  to  exhaust  the  earth,  is  to  leave  it  every  third 
year  to  grow  grass  for  pasture,  after  having  grown 
grain,  and  buckwheat  or  maize,  in  the  two  preceding 
years.  In  spite  of  this,  however,  the  ground  be- 
comes impoverished  after  a  few  years,  and  then  the 
husbandman  leaves  it,  and  seeks  another  field,  re- 
turning, after  a  time,  to  the  old  one  ;  and  so  but  a 
very  small  part  of  the  arable  land  is  under  cultiva- 
tion at  one  time,  whereas  if  it  were  even  badly  cul- 
tivated, it  would  return  a  hundred-fold  the  seed 
thrown  in  it. 

The  prettiest  excursion  we  made  was  that  to  Cape 
Spartel,  the  Ampelusium  of  the  ancients,  which 
forms  the  north-western  extremity  of  the  African 
continent,  a  mountain  of  gray  stone,  about  three 
hundred  metres  in  height,  rising  abruptly  from  the 
sea,  and  opening  underneath  into  vast  caverns,  the 
larger  of  which  were  consecrated  to  Hercules  :  Specus 
Hemdi  sacer.  Upon  the  summit  of  this  mountain 
stands  the  famous  lighthouse  erected  a  few  years 
ago,  and  maintained  by  contributions  from  most  of 
the  European  States.  We  climbed  to  the  top  of 
the  tower,  where  the  great  lantern  sends  its  benefi- 
cent rays  to  a  distance  of  five-and-twenty  miles. 
From  thence  the  eye  embraces  two  seas  and  two 


T ALGIERS.  57 

continents.  There  can  be  seen  the  last  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean  and  the  horizon  of  the  Atlantic — the 
sea  of  darkness,  Bar-el- Dolma,  as  the  Arabs  call  it 
— beating  at  the  foot  of  the  rock  ;  the  Spanish  coast, 
from  Cape  Trafalgar  to  Cape  Algesiras  ;  the  African 
coast,  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  mountains  of 
Ceuta,  the  septem  fratres  of  the  Romans  ;  and  far  in 
the  distance,  faintly  outlined,  the  enormous  rock  of 
Gibraltar — eternal  sentinel  of  that  port  of  the  old 
continent,  mysterious  terminus  of  the  antique  world, 
become  the  "  Favola  vila  ai  naviganti  industri" 

In  this  expedition  we  encountered  but  few  per- 
sons, for  the  most  part  Arabs  on  foot,  who  passed 
almost  without  looking  at  us,  and  sometimes  a  Moor 
on  horseback,  some  personage  important  either  for 
his  wealth  or  his  office,  accompanied  by  a  troop  of 
armed  followers,  who  looked  contemptuously  at  us 
as  they  passed.  The  women  muffled  their  faces 
even  more  carefully  than  in  the  city,  some  muttering, 
and  others  turning  their  backs  abruptly  upon  us. 
Here  and  there  an  Arab  would  stop  before  us,  look 
fixedly  at  us,  murmur  a  few  words  that  sounded  as 
if  he  were  asking  a  favor,  and  then  go  on  his  way 
without  looking  back.  At  first  we  did  not  under- 
stand, but  it  was  explained  that  they  were  asking  us 
,to  pray  to  God  for  some  favor  for  them.  It  seems 
that  there  is  a  superstition  much  in  vogue  among 
the  Arabs,  that  the  prayers  of  a  Mussulman  being 
very  grateful  to  God,  He  generally  delays  granting 
what  they  ask  for,  in  order  that  He  may  prolong 


58  MOROCCO. 

the  pleasure  of  hearing  the  prayer  ;  whilst  the 
prayer  of  an  infidel  dog,  like  a  Hebrew  or  a  Chris- 
tian, is  so  hateful  to  Him,  that  He  grants  it  at  once, 
ipso  facto,  in  order  to  be  rid  of  it.  The  only 
friendly  faces  we  saw  were  those  of  some  Jewish 
boys  who  were  scampering  about  on  donkeys,  and 
who  threw  us  a  cheerful  "Buenos  dias,  Caballeros !  " 
as  they  galloped  by. 

In  spite,  however,  of  the  new  and  varied  charac- 
ter of  our  life  at  Tangiers,  we  were  all  impatience 
to  leave  it,  in  order  to  get  back  in  the  month  of 
June,  before  the  great  heats  began.  The  charge 
d'affaires  had  sent  a  messenger  to  Fez  to  announce 
that  the  embassy  was  ready  ;  but  ten  days  at  least 
must  pass  before  he  could  return.  Private  notices 
informed  us  that  the  escort  was  on  its  way,  others 
that  it  had  not  yet  started.  Uncertain  and  contradic- 
tory rumors  prevailed,  as  if  the  longed-for  Fez  were 
distant  two  thousand  miles  from  the  coast,  instead 
of  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  ;  and  this, 
from  one  point  of  view,  was  rather  agreeable,  be- 
cause our  fifteen  days'  journey  thus  assumed  in  oi:r 
fancy  the  proportions  of  a  long  and  adventurous 
voyage,  and  Fez  seemed  mysteriously  attractive. 
The  strange  things,  too,  which  were  related  by  those 
who  had  been  there  with  former  embassies,  about 
the  city,  its  people,  and  the  dangers  of  the  expedi- 
tion, all  combined  to  excite  our  expectations.  They 
told  how  they  had  been  surrounded  by  thousands 
of  horsemen,  who  saluted  them  with  a  tempest  of 


TJNG1ERS.  59 

shots,  so  near  as  almost  to  scorch  their  skins  and 
blind  them,  and  that  they  could  hear  the  balls  whistle 
by  their  ears ;  that  in  all  probability  some  of  us 
Italians  would  be  shot  in  the  head  by  mistake  by 
some  ball  directed  against  the  white  cross  in  our 
flag,  which  would  no  doubt  seem  an  insult  to  Ma- 
homet in  Arab  eyes.  They  talked  of  scorpions, 
serpents,  tarantulas,  of  clouds  of  grasshoppers  and 
locusts,  of  spiders  and  toads  of  gigantic  size  that 
were  found  on  the  road  and  under  the  tents.  They 
described  in  dismal  colors  the  entrance  of  the  em- 
bassy into  Fez,  in  the  midst  of  a  hostile  crowd, 
through  tortuous,  dark  streets,  encumbered  with  ruins 
and  the  carcases  of  animals  ;  they  prophesied  a 
mountain  of  trouble  for  us  during  our  stay  at  Fez- 
mortal  languors,  furious  dysenteries  and  rheuma- 
tisms, musquitoes  of  monstrous  size  and  ferocity 
compared  with  which  those  of  our  country  were 
agreeable  companions,  and,  finally,  homesickness  ; 
apropos  of  which,  they  told  us  of  a  young  Belgian 
painter  who  had  gone  to  Fez  with  the  embassy 
from  Brussels,  and  who,  after  a  week's  stay,  was 
seized  with  such  a  desperate  melancholy,  that  the 
ambassador  was  obliged  to  send  him  back  to  Tan- 
giers  by  forced  marches,  that  he  might  not  see  him 
die  under  his  eyes ;  and  it  was  true.  But  all  this 
only  increased  our  impatience  to  be  off,  and  our  de- 
light can  easily  be  imagined  when  Signor  Soloman 
Affalo,  the  second  dragoman  of  the  Legation,  one 
day  presented  himself  at  the  door  of  the  dining- 


60  MOROCCO. 

room,  and  announced,  in  a  sonorous  voice — "  The 
escort  from  Fez  has  arrived." 

With  it  came  horses,  mules,  camels,  grooms, 
tents,  the  route  laid  down  for  us  by  the  Sultan,  and 
his  permission  to -start  at  once.  Some  days,  how- 
ever, had  to  be  allowed  for  men  and  beasts  to  take  a 
little  rest. 

The  animals  were  sheltered  at  the  Casba.  The 
next  day  we  went  to  see  'hem.  There  were  forty- 
five  horses,  including  those  of  the  escort,  about 
twenty  mules  for  the  saddle,  and  more  than  fifty  for 
baggage,  to  which  were  afterward  added  others  hired 
at  Tangiers  ;  the  horses  small  and  light,  like  all 
Morocco  horses,  and  the  mules  robust ;  the  saddles 
and  packs  covered  with  scarlet  cloth  ;  the  stirrups 
formed  of  a  large  plate  of  iron  bent  upward  at  the 
two  sides,  so  as  to  support  and  enclose  the  whole 
foot,  and  serving  also  as  spurs,  as  well  as  defences. 
The  poor  beasts  were  almost  all  lying  down,  ex- 
hausted more  from  hunger  than  from  fatigue,  a  large 
part  of  their  food  having,  according  to  custom,  found 
its  way,  in  the  shape  of  coin,  into  the  pockets  of  the 
drivers.  Some  of  the  soldiers  of  the  escort  were 
there,  who  came  about  us,  and  made  us  understand 
by  signs  and  words  that  the  journey  had  been  a  very 
fatiguing  one,  with  much  suffering  from  heat  and 
thirst,  but  that,  thanks  to  Allah,  they  had  arrived 
safe  and  sound.  They  were  blacks  and  mulattoes, 
wrapped  in  their  white  capotes,  tall,  powerful  men, 
with  bold  features,  sharp  white  teeth,  and  flashing 


TANGIER S.  6 1 

eyes,  that  made  us  consider  whether  it  would  not 
be  well  to  have  a  second  escort  placed  between 
them  and  ourselves  in  case  of  necessity.  Whilst  my 
companions  conversed  in  gestures,  I  sought  among 
the  mules  one  with  a  mild  expression  of  generosity 
and  gentleness  in  its  eyes,  and  found  it  in  a  white 
mule  with  a  crupper  adorned  with  arabesques.  To 
this  creature  I  decided  to  confide  my  life  and  for- 
tunes, and  from  that  moment  until  our  return  the 
hope  of  Italian  literature  in  Morocco  was  bound  to 
her  saddle. 

From  the  Casba  we  proceeded  to  the  Soc-de- 
Barra,  where  the  principal  tents  had  been  placed.  It 
was  a  great  pleasure  to  us  to  see  these  canvas  houses 
where  we  were  to  sleep  for  thirty  nights  in  the  midst 
of  unknown  solitudes,  and  see  and  hear  so  many 
strange  things  :  one.  of  us  preparing  his  geograph- 
ical maps,  another  his  official  report,  another  his 
book,  a  fourth  his  picture  ;  forming  altogether  a  small 
Italy  in  pilgrimage  across  the  empire  of  the 
Schariffs.  The  tents  were  of  a  cylindrical  conical 
form,  some  large  enough  to  contain  about  twenty 
persons,  all  very  high,  and  made  of  double  canvas 
bordered  with  blue,  and  ornamented  on  the  top 
with  a  large  metal  ball.  Most  of  them  belonged 
to  the  Sultan ;  and  who  knows  how  often  the 
beauties  of  the  seraglio  had  slept  under  them  on 
their  journeys  from  Fez  to  Meckinez  and  Morocco ! 
In  one  corner  of  the  encampment  was  a  group  of 
foot-soldiers  of  the  escort,  and  in  front  of  them  a 


62  MOROCCO. 

personage  unknown,  who  was  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  Minister.     He  was  a  man  of  about  thirty-five, 
of  a    dignified    appearance,  a  mulatto,  and  corpu- 
lent, with  a  great  white  turban,  a  blue  capote,  red 
drawers,    and  a   sabre  in    a    leathern   sheath    with 
a  hilt  of  rhinoceros-horn.      The  Minister,    arriving 
in  a  few  moments,  presented  this  gentleman  to  us  as 
the    commandant   of  the    escort,    a  general  of  the 
imperial    army,    by    name   Hamed  Ben  Kasen  Bu- 
hamei,  who  was  to  accompany  us  to  and  from  Fez 
back  to  Tangiers,  and  whose  head  answered  to  the 
Sultan    for  the    safety   of  ours.       He  shook  hands 
with  us'  with  much  grace  and  ease  of  manner,  and 
his  visage  and  air  reassured  me  completely  with  re- 
gard to  the  eyes  and  teeth  of  the  soldiers  whom  I 
had  seen  at  the  Casba.      He  was  not  handsome,  but 
his  countenance  expressed  mildness  and  intelligence. 
He  must  know  how  to  read,  write,  and  cipher — be, 
in    fact,    one  of  the  most  cultured  generals  in  the 
army — since  he  had  been  chosen  by  the  Minister 
of  War  for  this  delicate  mission.      The  distribution 
of  tents  was  now  made  in  his  presence.       One  was 
assigned  to  painting  ;  among  the  largest,  after  that 
of  the  ambassador,  was  the  one  taken  possession  of 
by  the  commander  of  the  frigate,  the  captain  of  the 
staff,  the   vice-consul,  and  myself,  which  afterward 
became  the  noisiest  tent  in  the  encampment.  Another 
very  large  one  was  set  aside  as  a  dining-room  ;  and 
then    came    those    of  the  doctor,   the    interpreters, 
cooks,  servants,  and  soldiers  of  the  Legation.      The 


TANG1ERS,  63 

commander  of  the  escort  and  his  soldiers  had  their 
tents  apart.  Other  tents  were  to  be  added  on  the 
day  of  departure.  In  short,  I  foresaw  that  we  should 
have  a  beautiful  encampment,  and  already  felt  with- 
in me  the  beginnings  of  descriptive  frenzy. 

On  the  following  day  the  charge  d'affaires  went 
with  the  commander  of  the  frigate  and  the  captain 
to  pay  a  visit  to  the  representative  of  the  imperial 
Government,  Sidi-Bargas,  who  exercises  what  may 
be  called  the  office  of  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  in 
Tangiers.  I  begged  permission  to  accompany  them, 
being  very  curious  to  see  a  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  who,  if  his  salary  has  not  been  increased 
within  the  last  twenty  years  (which  is  not  probable), 
receives  from  his  Government  the  sum  of  seventy- 
five  francs,  or  fifteen  dollars,  a  month,  which  includes 
the  fund  for  the  expenses  of  representation  ;  a  mag- 
nificent stipend,  nevertheless,  compared  with  that  of 
the  governors,  who  receive  only  fifty  francs.  And 
it  is  not  to  be  said  that  their  charge  is  a  sinecure, 
and  may  be  entrusted  to  the  first  comer.  The  fa- 
mous Sultan  Abd-er-Rahman,  for  instance,  who 
reigned  from  1822  to  1869,  could  find  no  man  so 
well  adapted  for  it  as  one  Sidi-Mohammed  el  Khatib, 
merchant  in  coffee  and  sugar,  who  continued  while 
he  was  Minister  to  traffic  regularly  between  Tan- 
giers and  Gibraltar.  The  instructions  which  this 
Minister  received  from  his  Government,  although 
very  simple,  are  such  as  to  embarrass  the  most  sub- 
tle of  European  diplomatists.  A  French  consul 


64  MOROCCO. 

has  set  them  down  for  us  with  much  precision — viz., 
to  respond  to  all  demands  of  the  consuls  with  prom- 
ises ;  to  defer  to  the  very  latest  moment  the  fulfil- 
ment of  these  promises  ;  to  gain  time  ;  to  raise 
difficulties  of  every  kind  agairfst  complaint ;  to  act  in 
such  a  way  that  the  complainants  will  get  tired,  and 
desist ;  to  yield,  if  threatened,  as  little  as  possible  ; 
if  cannon  are  introduced,  to  yield,  but  not  until  the 
latest  moment.  But  it  must  be  acknowledged  that 
after  the  war  with  Spain,  and  especially  under  the 
reign  of  Muley-el- Hassan,  things  have  very  much 
changed. 

We  went  up  to  the  Casba  where  the  Minister  lives  ; 
a  line  of  soldiers  kept  guard  before  the  door.  We 
crossed  a  garden  and  entered  a  spacious  hall,  where 
the  Minister  and  the  Governor  of  Tangiers  carm 
to  meet  us.  At  the  bottom  of  the  hall  was  a  recesf. 
or  alcove,  with  a  sofa  and  some  chairs  ;  in  one  corner, 
a  modest  bed  ;  under  the  bed,  a  coffee-service  ;  the 
walls  white  and  bare  ;  the  floor  covered  with  matting. 
We  seated  ourselves  in  the  alcove. 

The  two  personages  before  us  formed  an  admi- 
rable contrast.  One,  Sidi-Bargas,  the  Minister,  was 
a  handsome  old  man,  with  a  white  beard  and  a  clear 
complexion,  eyes  of  extraordinary  vivacity,  and  a 
large  smiling  mouth,  displaying  two  rows  of  ivory- 
white  teeth ;  a  countenance  which  revealed  the 
finesse  and  marvellous  flexibility  demanded  of  him 
by  the  very  nature  of  his  office.  His  eye-glasses 
and  snuff-box,  together  with  certain  ceremonious  airs 


TANGIERS.  65 

of  head  and  hands,  gave  him  something  of  the  look 
of  a  European  diplomatist.  Plainly  a  man  accus- 
tomed to  deal  with  Christians  ;  superior,  perhaps,  to 
many  of  the  prejudices  and  superstitions  of  his 
people  ;  a  Mussulman  of  large  views  ;  a  Moor  var- 
nished with  civilization.  The  other,  the  Caid  Mis- 
fiui,  seemed  the  incarnation  of  Morocco.  He  was 
about  fifty  years  of  age,  with  black  beard  and  bronze 
complexion,  muscular,  sombre,  and  taciturn ;  a  face 
that  looked  as  if  it  had  never  smiled.  He  held  his 
head  down,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground,  his  brow 
bent ;  his  expression  was  one  of  strong  repugnance. 
Both  men  wore  large  muslin  turbans  and  long  ample 
robes  of  transparent  stuff. 

The  charge  d'affaires  presented  to  these  two  per- 
sonages, through  the  interpreter,  the  commandant  of 
the  frigate  and  the  captain.  They  were  two  officials, 
and  their  introduction  required  no  comment.  But 
when  I  was  presented,  a  few  words  of  explanation 
as  to  the  office  I  filled  was  necessary  ;  and  the 
chargt  d'affaires  expressed  himself  in  rather  hyper- 
bolical terms.  Sidi-Bargas  stood  a  moment  silent, 
and  then  said  a  few  words  to  the  interpreter,  who 
translated— 

"  His  Excellency  demands  why  you  have  such 
ability  with  your  hand.  Your  lordship  wears  it  cov- 
ered ;  your  lordship  will  please  remove  your  glove 
that  the  hand  may  be  seen." 

The  compliment  was  so  new  to  me  that  I  was  at  a 
loss  for  a  reply. 


66  MOROCCO. 

"  It  is  not  necessary,"  observed  the  chargt  d'af- 
faires, "because  the  faculty  resides  in  his  mind,  and 
not  in  his  hand." 

One  would  have  thought  this  settled  the  question  ; 
but  when  a  Moor  gets  hold  of  a  metaphor,  he  does 
not  leave  it  so  easily. 

"  True,"  replied  his  Excellency,  through  the  inter- 
preter; "but  the  hand  being  the  instrument  is  also 
the  symbol  of  the  faculties  of  the  mind." 

The  discussion  was  prolonged  for  a  few  minutes. 
"  It  is  a  gift  of  Allah,"  finally  concluded  Sidi-Bargas. 

The  conversation  continued  for  some  time,  and 
the  journey  was  discussed.  There  was  a  long  cita- 
tion of  names  of  governors,  of  provinces,  of  rivers, 
valleys,  mountains,  and  plains,  that  we  should  find 
upon  our  route ;  names  that  resounded  in  my  ear  as 
so  many  promises  of  adventure,  and  set  my  fancy  to 
work.  What  was  the  Red  Mountain  ?  What  should 
we  find  on  the  banks  of  Pearl  River?  What  sort  of 
a  man  could  that  Governor  be  who  was  called  "  Son 
of  the  Mare  ?"  Our  chargd 'made  numerous  inquiries 
as  to  distances,  water,  and  shade.  Sidi-Bargas  had 
it  all  at  the  points  of  his  fingers,  and  in  this  direction 
was  certainly  greatly  beyond  Visconti  Venosta,  who 
could  notfor  his  life  have  given  information  to  a  foreign 
ambassador  as  to  how  many  springs  of  water  and  how 
many  groups  of  trees  there  were  between  Rome  and 
Naples.  Finally,  he  wished  us  a  pleasant  journey, 
with  the  following  formula  :  "  May  peace  be  in  your 
path !"  and  accompanying  the  ambassador  to  the  en- 


TANGIERS.  67 

trance,  shook  hands  with  us  all  with  an  air  of  great 
cordiality.  The  Caid  Misfiui,  always  mute,  put  out 
the  tips  of  his  fingers,  without  raising  his  eyes. 
"  My  hand — yes,"  I  thought,  as  I  gave  it,  "  but  not 
my  head !" 

"  Start  on  Monday !"  called  out  Sidi-Bargas,  as  we 
took  leave. 

The  ambassador  asked  why  Monday  rather  than 
Sunday.  "  Because  it  is  a  day  of  good  omen,"  he 
answered,  with  gravity  ;  and  with  another  deep  salu- 
tation, he  left  us. 

I  learned  later  that  Caid-Misfiui  is  accounted  a  man 
of  great  learning  among  the  Moors  :  he  was  tutor  to  the 
reigning  Sultan,  and  is,  as  his  face  shows,  a  fanatical 
Mussulman.  Sidi-Bargas  enjoys  the  more  amiable 
reputation  of  being  a  very  fine  chess-player. 

Three  days  before  our  departure  the  street  before 
the  Legation  was  thronged  with  curious  lookers-on. 
Ten  tall  camels,  which  were  to  carry  to  Fez,  in  ad- 
vance of  us,  a  part  of  our  provision  of  wine,  came  one 
after  the  other,  kneeled  down  to  receive  their  load, 
and  departed  with  their  guard  of  soldiers  and  ser- 
vants. Within  the  house  all  was  bustle,  and  the 
servants  who  had  come  from  Fez  were  added  to 
those  already  on  the  spot.  Provisions  arrived  at 
every  hour  in  the  day.  It  was  feared,  at  one 
moment,  that  we  should  not  be  able  to  get  off  on  the 
appointed  day.  But  on  the  Sunday  evening,  3d  of 
May,  every  thing  was  ready,  including  the  lofty  mast 
of  an  immense  tricolored  flag  which  was  to  float  in 


68  MOROCCO. 

the  midst  of  our  encampment ;  and  in  the  night  the 
baggage  mules  were  loaded  so  that  they  should  start 
early  on  Monday  morning,  several  hours  before  us, 
and  arrive  in  the  evening  in  time  to  have  every  thing 
ready  for  us  at  the  encampment. 

I  shall  always  remember  with  a  pleasant  emotion 
those  last  moments  passed  in  the  court  of  the  Lega- 
tion just  before  our  departure.  We  were  all  there. 
An  old  friend  of  the  chargt  d '  affaires  had  arrived 
the  evening  before  to  join  us,  Signor  Patot,  formerly 
Minister  from  Spain  to  Tangiers,  and  also  Signor 
Morteo,  a  Genoese,  and  consular  agent  for  Italy  to 
Mazagan.  There  was  the  doctor  of  the  caravan, 
Miguerez,  a  native  of  Algiers  ;  a  rich  Moor,  Mo- 
hammed Ducali,  an  Italian  subject,  who  accompanied 
the  embassy  in  the  quality  of  writer  ;  the  second 
dragoman  of  the  Legation,  Solomon  Affalo  ;  two 
Italian  sailors,  one  orderly  to  Commander  Cassone, 
and  the  other  belonging  to  the  Dora ;  the  soldiers 
of  the  Legation  in  holiday  dress  ;  cooks,  workmen, 
and  servants,  all  persons  unknown  to  me,  whom  two 
months  of  life  in  common  in  the  interior  of  Mo- 
rocco were  to  render  familiar  to  me,  and  whom  I 
prepared  myself  to  study  from  that  moment,  one 
by  one,  and  to  make  move  and  speak  in  a  book  that 
I  had  in  my  head.  Every  one  of  them  had  some 
peculiarity  of  dress,  which  gave  the  whole  a  singu- 
larly picturesque  appearance.  There  were  plumed 
caps,  white  mantles,  gaiters,  veils,  wallets,  and 
blankets  of  every  color.  There  were  enough  pistols, 


TANGIERS.  69 

barometers,  quadrants,  albums,  and  field-glasses  to 
have  set  up  a  bazaar.  We  might  have  been  setting 
off  on  an  expedition  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
every  one  of  us  was  quivering  with  impatience,  cu- 
riosity, and  pleasant  anticipation.  To  crown  all,  the 
weather  was  exquisite,  and  a  delightful  sea-breeze 
was  blowing.  Mahomet  was  with  Italy. 

At  five  o'clock  exactly  the  ambassador  mounted 
his  horse,  and  the  flags  on  the  terrace  of  the  Lega- 
tion rose  in  salute.  Preoccupied  as  I  was  with  my 
white  mule,  and  in  all  the  confusion  and  uproar  of 
departure  I  remember  but  little  of  the  crowd  that 
encumbered  the  street,  the  handsome  Jewish  women 
peering  from  their  terraces,  and  an  Arab  boy,  who 
exclaimed  with  a  strange  accent,  as  we  issued  from 
the  gate  of  the  Soc-de-Barra,  "Italia  !  " 

At  the  Soc  we  were  joined  by  the  representatives 
of  the  other  Legations,  who  were  to  accompany  us, 
according  to  custom,  a  few  miles  beyond  Tangiers  ; 
and  we  took  the  road  to  Fez,  a  numerous  and  noisy 
cavalcade,  before  which  waved  the  green  folds  of  the 
banner  of  the  Prophet. 


CHAPTER  II. 

HAD-EL-GARBIA. 

A  THRONG  of  ministers,  consuls,  dragomans, 
secretaries,  clerks,  a  great  international  em- 
bassy, representing  six  monarchies  and  two  repub- 
lics, and  composed  for  the  most  part  of  people  who 
had  been  all  over  the  world.  Among  others,  there 
was  the  Spanish  consul,  dressed  in  the  graceful  cos- 
tume of  the  province  of  Mercia,  with  a  poignard  in 
his  girdle  ;  the  gigantic  figure  of  the  United  States 
consul,  once  a  colonel  in  a  cavalry  regiment,  tower- 
ing a  whole  head  above  the  rest  of  the  troop,  and 
riding  a  beautiful  Arab  horse  with  Mexican  saddle 
and  accoutrements  ;  the  dragoman  of  the  Legation 
of  France,  an  athletic  man,  mounted  upon  an  enor- 
mous white  horse,  with  which  he  presented,  in  cer- 
tain points  of  view,  the  image  of  a  centaur  ;  English, 
Andalusians,  and  Germans  were  there,  and  as  every 
one  spoke  in  his  own  tongue,  mingled  with  laughter, 
the  humming  of  songs,  and  the  neighing  of  beasts, 
the  effect  may  be  imagined.  Before  us  rode  the 
banner-bearer,  followed  by  two  soldiers  of  the  Ital- 
ian Legation  ;  behind  came  the  escort,  led  by  the 

70 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  7 1 

mulatto  general,  with  his  rifle  erect,  one  end  resting 
on  the  saddle  ;  on  either  side  a  crowd  of  Arabs  on 
foot.  All  this  motley  company,  gilded  by  the  rays 
of  the  setting  sun,  presented  a  spectacle  so  splen- 
didly picturesque  that  each  one  of  us  wore  an  air  of 
complacency  at  the  thought  that  we  formed  part  of 
the  picture. 

Little  by  little,  those  who  had  accompanied  us 
from  Tangiers  took  their  leave  and  turned  back  ; 
only  America  and  Spain  remained  with  us.  The 
road  so  far  was  not  bad  ;  my  mule  seemed  the  most 
docile  of  mules  ;  what  remained  for  me  to  desire  ? 
But  there  is  no  perfect  felicity  on  this  earth.  The 
captain  drew  near  and  gave  me  a  most  unpleasing 
piece  of  news.  The  vice-consul,  Paolo  Grande,  our 
tent  companion,  was  a  somnambulist.  The  captain 
himself  had  met  him  the  night  before  on  the  stairs 
of  the  Legation,  wrapped  in  a  sheet,  with  a  lamp  in 
one  hand  and  a  pistol  in  the  other.  The  servants, 
being  questioned,  confirmed  the  tale.  To  sleep 
with  him  in  the  same  tent  was  dangerous.  The 
captain  entreated  me,  as  I  was  more  intimate  with 
the  vice-consul  than  he,  to  induce  him  to  give  up 
his  arms  for  the  night.  I  promised  to  do  my  best. 
"  I  leave  it  in  your  hands,"  said  he,  as  he  turned 
away,  "  and  I  speak  in  the  name  of  the  commandant 
also."  "  Here  's  a  fine  business  !  "  thought  I,  as  I 
went  in  search  of  the  vice-consul.  He  came  to 
meet  me.  With  one  cautious  question  and  another 
I  succeeded  in  discovering  that  he  carried  with  him 


72  MOROCCO. 

a  small  arsenal,  what  with  fire-arms  and  cutting 
weapons,  comprising  an  ugly  Moorish  poignard  that 
seemed  expressly  made  for  cutting  a  hole  in  my 
own  person.  After  turning  it  over  in  my  mind,  I 
decided  to  wait  until  the  hour  for  going  to  bed  ar- 
rived, and  for  the  rest  of  the  way  the  teasing 
thought  pursued  me. 

We  were  moving  now  in  a  great  curve  over  an 
undulating  country,  green  and  solitary.  The  road,  if 
road  it  could  be  called,  was  formed  of  a  large  number 
of  parallel  paths  crossing  each  other  here  and  there, 
winding  through  stones  and  bushes,  and  sunken, 
like  the  beds  of  streams.  A  few  palms  and  aloes 
showed  their  dark  outlines  upon  the  golden  sky, 
which,  above  our  heads,  began  to  glitter  with  stars. 
No  person  was  to  be  seen  far  or  near.  Once  we 
heard  some  gunshots  :  it  was  a  group  of  Arabs  on 
the  top  of  a  hill,  saluting  the  ambassador.  After 
three  hours'  travelling  it  was  dark  night,  and  we  be- 
gan to  wish  for  the  encampment.  Hunger  in  some 
and  fatigue  in  others  made  us  silent.  Nothing  was 
heard  but  the  horses'  feet  and  the  panting  breath  of 
the  servants  running  beside  us.  Suddenly  there 
was  a  shout  from  the  caid.  On  a  height  to  the 
right  lights  were  glittering,  and  we  hailed  with  a 
unanimous  shout  our  first  encampment. 

I  cannot  express  the  pleasure  I  felt  in  dismount- 
ing among  the  tents.  Had  it  not  been  for  my  dig- 
nity as  the  representative  of  Italian  literature,  I 
think  I  should  have  indulged  in  a  sort  of  jig.  It 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  73 

was  a  little  city,  illuminated,  and  full  of  noise  and 
people.  Kitchen  fires  blazed  on  every  side.  Ser- 
vants, soldiers,  cooks,  sailors,  went  to  and  fro,  ex- 
changing questions  in  all  the  tongues  of  the  Tower 
of  Babel.  The  tents  were  arranged  in  a  large  cir- 
cle, with  the  Italian  banner  in  the  midst.  Behind 
the  tents  were  ranged  the  horses  and  mules.  The 
escort  had  its  own  small  encampment  apart.  Every 
thing  was  in  military  order.  I  recognized  at  once 
my  own  habitation,  and  ran  to  take  possession. 
There  were  four  camp-beds,  mats  and  carpets,  lan- 
terns, candlesticks,  small  tables,  folding  chairs,  wash- 
basins striped  with  the  Italian  colors,  and  a  great 
Indian  fan.  It  was  a  princely  establishment,  in 
which  one  might  willingly  spend  a  year.  Our  tent 
was  placed  between  those  of  the  ambassador  and 
the  artists. 

One  hour  after  our  arrival  we  were  seated  at  din- 
ner in  the  tent  consecrated  to  Lucullus.  I  think  that 
was  the  merriest  dinner  that  ever  took  place  within 
the  confines  of  Morocco  since  the  foundation  of  Fez. 
We  were  sixteen,  comprising  the  American  consul 
with  his  two  sons,  and  the  Spanish  consul,  with  two 
attache's  from  the  Legation.  The  Italian  cuisine  car- 
ried off  a  solemn  victory.  It  was  the  first  time,  I 
believe,  that  in  that  desolate  country  the  fumes  of 
macaroni  with  gravy  and  risotto  alia  Milanese  ever 
rose  to  the  nostrils  of  Allah.  The  fat  French  cook, 
come  from  Tangiers  for  that  night  only,  was  clamor- 
ously called  before  the  footlights.  Toasts  went  off 


74  MOROCCO. 

one  after  the  other  in  Italian,  in  Spanish,  in  verse,  in 
prose,  in  music.  The  Spanish  consul,  a  handsome 
Castilian  of  the  antique  stamp,  large-bearded,  broad- 
shouldered,  and  deep-hearted,  declaimed,  with  one 
hand  on  his  dagger-hilt,  the  dialogue  of  Don  Juan 
Tenorio  with  Don  Luis  Mendia,  in  Zorilla's  famous 
drama.  There  were  discussions  upon  the  Eastern 
Question,  upon  the  eyes  of  Arab  women,  upon  the 
Carlist  war,  upon  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and 
upon  the  properties  of  the  terrible  cobra  di  capello — 
the  aspic  of  Cleopatra — which  the  charlatans  of 
Morocco  allow  to  bite  them  with  impunity.  Some 
one,  in  the  midst  of  the  clamor  of  conversation, 
whispered  in  my  ear  that  he  would  be  grateful  to  me 
for  life,  if  I  would  mention  in  my  future  book  on 
Morocco,  that  he  had  killed  a  lion.  I  seized  the 
occasion  to  request  my  fellow -guests  to  give  me 
each  a  note  as  to  the  particular  ferocious  beast 
which  he  had  conquered.  The  Spanish  consul,  out 
of  gratitude,  improvised  a  verse  in  honor  of  my  mule, 
and  all  singing  it  to  a  tune  from  the  "  Italiana  in 
Algieri,"  we  issued  forth,  and  sought  our  different 
sleeping-places. 

The  encampment  was  immersed  in  profound  slum- 
ber. In  front  of  the  tent  of  the  ambassador,  who 
had  retired  before  us,  watched  the  faithful  Selam. 
first  soldier  of  the  Legation.  In  the  distance  paced 
like  a  shadow,  among  the  tents,  the  form  of  the  caid 
of  the  escort.  The  sky  was  all  sparkling  with  stars. 
What  a  blessed  night,  if  I  had  not  had  that  thorn  in- 
serted in  my  oillow ! 


XAD-EL-GARBIA.  75 

I  had  no  sooner  entered  my  tent  than  the  cap- 
tain repeated  his  advice,  and  I  determined  to  attack 
the  subject  after  we  should  be  in  bed.  It  was  un- 
avoidable, but  it  was  very  unpleasant.  The  vice- 
consul  might  take  it  badly,  and  I  should  be  very 
sorry.  He  was  so  agreeable  a  companion.  Like  a 
true  Sicilian,  full  of  fire,  he  talked  of  the  most  insig- 
nificant things  with  the  accent  and  style  of  an  in- 
spired preacher.  He  made  use  of  the  most  terrible 
adjectives — immense,  divine,  and  so  on — on  the 
slightest  occasion.  His  quietest  and  least  expres- 
sive gesture  was  to  shake  his  hands  wildly  above 
his  head.  To  see  him  discuss  any  question,  with 
his  eyes  flying  out  of  his  head,  and  his  aquiline 
nose  that  seemed  to  defy  the  world,  was  to  judge 
him  an  irascible  and  imperious  man,  whereas  he 
was  in  reality  the  kindest  and  gentlest  person  con- 
ceivable. 

"  Come,  courage  !  "  whispered  the  captain  when 
we  were  all  in  bed. 

"  Signer  Grande,"  I  began,  "  are  you  in  the  habit 
of  getting  up  in  the  night  ?  " 

He  seemed  much  astonished  at  my  question. 
"  No,"  he  answered  ;  "  and  I  should  be  very  sorry 
to  think  that  any  one  had  such  a  habit." 

"  That  's  queer,"  I  thought.  "  Then,"  said  I,  "  you 
recognize  that  it  is  a  dangerous  habit  ?  " 

He  looked  at  me.  "  Excuse  me,"  he  said,  after  a 
moment's  silence  ;  "  I  don't  suppose  you  mean  to 
joke  on  such  a  subject  ?  " 


76  MOROCCO. 

"  Excuse  me,"  I  answered  ;  "  I  have  not  the  least 
intention  of  joking.  It  is  not  my  custom  to  jest  on 
serious  subjects." 

"  Serious  indeed  ;  and  it  will  be  for  you  to  guard 
against  the  consequences." 

"  Well,  this  is  fine !  Do  you  imagine  that  I 
shall  go  and  sleep  in  the  middle  of  the  camp  ?  " 

"  Of  the  two  it  seems  to  me  that  you  should  go, 
rather  than  I." 

"  That  is  an  impertinence  !  "  cried  I,  sitting  up  in 
bed  with  a  jump. 

"Oh,  a  new  idea!"  shouted  the  vice-consul, 
bouncing  up  in  his  turn  ;  "  an  impertinence,  not  to 
risk  being  murdered  !  " 

A  shout  of  laughter  from  the  other  two  broke  up 
the  discussion,  and  before  they  spoke  we  understood 
that  we  had  been  the  victims  of  a  joke.  They  had 
told  him  that  I  was  in  the  habit  of  wandering  about 
in  the  night  wrapped  in  a  sheet,  and  with  a  pistol  in 
my  hand. 

The  night  passed  without  disturbance,  and  I 
awoke  at  dawn.  The  camp  was  still  immersed  in 
slumber  ;  only  among  the  tents  of  the  escort  a  few 
persons  were  in  motion.  The  sky  in  the  east  was 
of  a  brilliant  rose-color.  I  went  out  among  the 
tents,  and  stood  in  contemplation  before  the  specta- 
cle that  lay  in  front  of  me. 

The  camp  was  placed  on  the  side  of  a  hill  covered 
with  grass,  aloes,  the  prickly  pear,  and  some  flower- 
ing shrubs.  Near  the  ambassador's  tent  rose  a  tall 


PEASANT  WOMEN  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  77 

palm-tree,  gracefully  inclined  toward  the  east.  In 
front  of  the  hill  extended  an  immense  plain,  undu- 
lating and  covered  with  verdure,  closed  in  the  dis- 
tance by  a  chain  of  dark-green  mountains,  behind 
which  appeared  other  blue  heights  almost  lost  in 
the  limpid  sky.  In  all  that  space  there  was  no 
house,  nor  curl  of  smoke,  nor  tent,  nor  cattle,  to  be 
seen.  It  was  like  an  immense  garden  where  no  liv- 
ing thing  was  admitted.  A  fresh  and  perfumed 
breeze  rustled  the  branches  of  the  palm,  and  made 
the  only  sound  that  broke  the  silence.  Suddenly, 
as  I  turned  I  beheld  ten  dilated  eyes  fixed  on  mine. 
Five  Arabs  were  seated  upon  a  mass  of  rock  at  a  few 
steps  from  me — laborers  from  the  country,  come 
in  in  the  night  to  see  the  encampment.  They 
seemed  sculptured  out  of  the  rock  on  which  they 
sat.  They  looked  at  me  without  winking,  without 
the  least  sign  of  curiosity,  or  sympathy,  or  embar- 
rassment, or  malevolence  ;  the  whole  five  motion- 
less and  impassive,  their  faces  half  hidden  in  their 
hoods,  like  personifications  of  the  solitude  and 
silence  of  the  fields.  I  put  one  hand  in  my  pocket, 
and  the  ten  eyes  followed  it  ;  I  took  out  a  cigar,  and 
the  ten  eyes  fixed  themselves  upon  it ;  they  followed 
every  motion  that  I  made.  Little  by  little  I  discov- 
ered other  figures  farther  off,  seated  in  the  grass 
two  by  two  and  three  by  three,  motionless  and 
hooded,  and,  like  the  first,  with  their  eyes  fixed  on 
me.  They  seemed  to  have  risen  from  the  earth, 
dead  men  with  their  eyes  open,  appearances  rather 


78  MOROCCO. 

than  real  persons,  which  would  vanish  under  the 
first  beams  of  the  sun.  A  long  and  tremulous  cry, 
coming  from  that  part  of  the  camp  where  the  es- 
cort lay,  disturbed  me  from  my  contemplation  of 
these  beings.  A  Mussulman  soldier  was  announc- 
ing to  his  fellows  the  first  of  the  five  canonical  hours 
of  prayer  which  every  Mussulman  must  follow. 
Some  soldiers  came  out  of  the  tents,  spread  their 
mantles  on  the  earth,  and  knelt  down  upon  them, 
their  faces  toward  the  east.  Three  times  they 
rubbed  their  hands,  arms,  head,  and  feet  with  a 
handful  of  earth,  and  then  began  to  recite  their 
prayers  in  a  low  voice,  kneeling,  rising  to  their  feet, 
prostrating  themselves  face  downward,  lifting  their 
open  hands  to  a  level  with  their  ears,  and  crouch- 
ing on  their  heels.  Soon  the  commander  of  the 
escort  issued  from  his  tent,  and  was  followed  by  his 
servants,  then  the  cooks.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
greater  part  of  the  population  of  the  camp  was 
afoot.  The  sun,  scarcely  above  the  horizon,  was 
scorching. 

When  I  went  back  to  my  tent,  I  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  several  odd  personages  to  whom  I 
shall  have  frequently  to  allude. 

The  first  to  appear  was  one  of  the  Italian  sailors, 
orderly  to  the  captain  of  the  frigate,  a  Sicilian,  born 
at  Porto  Empedocle,  Ranni  by  name, — a  young  fel- 
low of  twenty-five,  very  tall,  and  of  herculean  build 
and  strength, — good-tempered,  grave  as  a  magis- 
trate, and  endowed  with  the  singular  virtue  of 


mi  ARAB'S  MORNING  PRAYER. 


HAD-EL-GARB1A.  79 

never  being  astonished  at  any  thing,  except  perhaps 
the  astonishment  of  others.  For  him,  Porto  Em- 
pedocle,  Gibraltar,  Africa,  China,  the  moon  itself, 
had  he  been  in  it,  were  all  the  same. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  way  of  living  ? " 
asked  the  captain,  while  Ranni  helped  him  to  dress. 

"  What  am  I  to  say?"  was  the  response. 

"  Why  the  journey,  the  new  country,  all  this  con- 
fusion— do  they  make  no  impression  upon  you  ?  " 

He  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then  answered  in- 
genuously, "  No  impression  at  all." 

"  But  the  encampment — that  at  least  is  new  to 
you." 

"  Oh  no,  Signor  Commandant." 

"  When  did  you  ever  see  one  before  ?  " 

"  I  saw  this  one  last  evening." 

The  commandant  looked  at  him,  repressing  his 
irritation.  Then  he  said,  "  Well,  last  evening — what 
impression  did  it  make  then  ?  " 

"  Well,"   answered  the   sailor  with  candor,  "  the 

same  impression,  you  know,  that  it  made  this  morn- 

•      » 
mg. 

The  commandant  hung  his  head  with  an  air  of  res- 
ignation. 

Soon  after  there  entered  another  not  less  curious 
personage.  He  was  an  Arab  from  Tangiers,  who 
was  in  the  vice-consul's  service  for  the  time  of  the 
journey.  His  name  was  Ciua ;  but  his  master 
called  him  Civo,  for  greater  facility  of  pronunciation. 
He  was  a  large  and  tall  young  fellow,  rather  given 


80  MOROCCO. 

to  practical  joking,  but  good-natured  and  willing — a 
big  ingenuous  boy,  who  laughed  and  hid  his  face 
when  you  looked  at  him.  He  had  no  other  garment 
than  a  long,  wide,  white  shirt,  without  a  girdle, 
which  floated  about  him  when  he  walked,  and  gave 
him  a  ridiculous  resemblance  to  a  cherub.  He  knew 
about  thirty  Spanish  words,  and  with  these  he  man- 
aged to  make  himself  understood,  when  constrained 
to  speak  ;  but  he  usually  preferred  to  converse  in 
pantomime.  To  look  at  him,  you  would  judge  him 
to  be  about  five-and-twenty  ;  but  it  is  easy  to  make 
a  mistake  in  an  Arab's  age.  I  asked  him  how  old 
he  was.  He  covered  his  face  with  one  hand,  thought 
a  moment,  and  answered,  "  Cuando guerra  Espana— 
ano  y  medio"  In  the  time  of  the  war  with  Spain, 
which  was  in  1860,  he  was  a  year  and  a  half  old, 
consequently,  he  was  then  seventeen. 

The  third  personage  was  the  ambassador's  cook, 
who  brought  us  our  coffee — an  unadulterated  Pied- 
montese  from  Turin,  who  had  dropped  from  the 
clouds  one  day  into  Tangiers,  and  had  not  yet  re- 
covered his  wits.  The  poor  man  was  never  tired  of 
exclaiming,  "  What  a  country  !  What  a  country  !  " 

I  asked  him  if  before  leaving  Turin  they  had  not 
told  him  what  sort  of  a  place  Morocco  was.  He  an- 
swered, yes,  they  had  told  him,  "  Take  care  ;  Tan- 
giers is  not  Turin."  And  he  had  thought  "  Pazien- 
za  /  it  will  be  like  Genoa  or  Alexandria  "  ;  and  in- 
stead he  had  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  savages. 
And  they  had  given  him  two  Arab  assistants  whc 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  8 1 

could  not  understand  a  word  he  said.  And  then  to 
make  a  two  months'  journey  through  the  deserts  of 
Egypt  !  He  knew  he  should  never  get  back  alive. 

"  But  at  any  rate,"  I  said,  "  you  will  have  some- 
thing to  tell  when  you  get  back  to  Turin." 

"Ah  !  "  he  answered,  turning  away  with  an  air  of 
profound  depression,  "  what  can  I  tell  about  a  coun- 
try where  one  cannot  find  a  single  leaf  of  salad?  " 

Breakfast  over,  the  ambassador  gave  the  order  to 
break  up  the  encampment.  During  that  long  opera- 
tion, in  which  not  less  than  one  hundred  persons 
were  concerned,  I  noticed  a  singular  trait  of  Arab 
character — the  insatiable  passion  for  command. 
There  was  no  need  of  any  indication  to  recognize  at 
once  in  that  crowd  of  figures  the  head  muleteer,  the 
head  porter,  the  head  tent-servant,  the  chief  of  the 
soldiers  of  the  Legation.  Each  of  these  was  invested 
with  an  authority,  and  he  made  it  felt  and  heard, 
with  hand  and  voice  and  eye,  with  or  without  occa- 
sion, and  with  all  the  strength  of  his  soul  and  body. 
Those  who  had  no  authority  resorted  to  all  sorts  of 
pretexts  for  giving  orders,  and  seeming  to  be  some- 
thing a  little  above  their  fellows.  The  most  ragged 
wretch  among  them  gave  himself  imperious  airs. 
The  simplest  operation,  such  as  tying  a  cord  or  lift- 
ing a  box,  provoked  an  exchange  of  thundering  yells, 
lightning  glances,  and  gestures  worthy  of  an  angry 
sultan.  Even  Civo,  the  modest  Civo,  domineered 
over  two  country  Arabs  who  allowed  themselves  to 
glance  at  his  master's  trunks  from  a  distance. 


82  MOROCCO. 

At  ten  in  the  morning,  under  a  burning  sun,  the 
long  caravan  began  slowly  to  descend  into  the  plain. 
The  Spanish  consul  and  his  two  companions  had 
been  left  behind  ;  of  foreigners  none  remained  with 
us  now  but  the  American  consul  and  his  two  sons. 

From  the  place  where  we  had  passed  the  night, 
called  in  Arabic  Ain-Dalia,  which  signifies  fountain 
of  wine,  because  of  the  vines  that  once  were  there, 
we  were  to  go  that  day  to  Had-el-Garbia,  beyond 
the  mountains  that  shut  in  the  plain. 

For  more  than  an  hour  we  journeyed  over  a 
gently  undulating  plain,  among  fields  of  barley  and 
millet,  through  winding  paths,  forming  at  their  cross- 
ings many  little  islets  of  grass  and  flowers.  We 
met  no  one,  and  no  figure  was  visible  in  the  fields. 
Only  once  we  encountered  a  long  file  of  camels  led 
by  two  Bedouin  Arabs,  who  muttered,  as  they  passed, 
the  common  salutation  :  "  Peace  be  on  your  way." 

I  felt  a  great  pity  for  the  Arab  servants  who  ac- 
companied us  on  foot,  loaded  with  umbrellas,  field- 
glasses,  albums,  clocks,  and  a  thousand  objects  of 
name  and  use  unknown  to  them  ;  constrained  to  fol- 
low our  mules  with  rapid  step,  suffocated  by  dust, 
scorched  by  the  sun,  half-fed,  half-clothed,  subject  to 
every  one,  possessing  nothing  in  the  world  but  a 
ragged  shirt  and  a  pair  of  slippers  ;  running  afoot 
from  Fez  to  Tangiers,  only  to  go  back  again  ;  and 
then,  perhaps,  to  follow  some  other  caravan  from 
Fez  to  Morocco,  and  so  to  go  on  throughout  their 
lives,  without  other  recompense  than  just  not  to  die 


HAD-EL-GAKBIA.  83 

of  hunger,  and  to  repose  their  bones  under  a  tent 
at  night !  I  thought  as  I  looked  at  them  of  Goethe's 
"  Pyramid  of  Existence."  There  was  among  them  a 
boy  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old,  a  mulatto, 
handsome  and  slender,  who  constantly  fixed  on  us 
his  large  dark  eyes  full  of  a  pensive  curiosity,  seek- 
ing to  speak  confusedly  of  many  things,  and  dumbly 
demanding  sympathy.  He  was  a  foundling,  the 
fruit  of  no  one  knew  what  strange  amours,  who, 
beginning  this  fatiguing  life  in  the  Italian  Embassy, 
would  probably  never  cease  until  he  should  fall  dy- 
ing in  some  ditch.  Another,  an  old  man  all  skin 
and  bones,  ran  with  his  head  down,  his  eyes 
closed,  and  his  hands  clenched,  with  a  sort  of  des- 
perate resignation.  Some  talked  and  laughed  as 
they  panted  on.  Suddenly  one  darted  from  the 
ranks,  passed  before  us,  and  disappeared.  Ten  min- 
utes afterward  we  found  him  seated  under  a  fig- 
tree.  He  had  done  a  half  mile  at  top  speed,  in  or- 
der to  gain  upon  the  caravan  and  enjoy  five  min- 
utes' rest  and  shade. 

Meantime  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  small  moun- 
tain, called  in  Arabic  the  Red  Mountain,  because  of 
the  color  of  its  earth ;  steep,  rocky,  and  still  bristling 
on  its  lower  part  with  the  remains  of  a  felled  wood. 
This  climb  had  been  announced  to  us  at  Tangiers  as 
the  most  difficult  part  of  our  road.  "  Mule,"  said  I 
to  my  beast,  "  I  desire  you  to  remember  my  contract 
with  my  editor,"  and  I  pushed  forward  in  a  bold  and 
reckless  manner.  The  path  rose  winding  among 


84  MOROCCO. 

great  stones  that  seemed  to  have  been  placed  there 
on  purpose  to  bring  me  to  grief  by  some  personal 
enemy ;  at  every  doubtful  movement  of  my  mule  I 
felt  a  whole  chapter  of  my  future  book  fly  away  out 
of  my  head, — twice  the  poor  beast  came  down  on 
her  knees,  and  launched  my  soul  upon  the  confines  of 
a  better  world, — but  at  last  we  reached  the  summit, 
safe  and  sound,  where  to  my  amazement  I  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  the  two  painters,  who  had 
gone  on  ahead  in  order  to  see  the  caravan  climbing 
up.  The  spectacle  was  well  worth  the  fatigue  of  the 
rapid  ascent. 

The  caravan  stretched  back  for  more  than  a  mile 
from  the  side  of  the  mountain  into  the  plain.  First 
came  the  principal  members  of  the  Embassy,  among 
whom  shone  conspicuous  the  plumed  hat  of  the  am- 
bassador and  the  white  turban  of  Mohammed  Ducali, 
and  on  either  side  came  a  troop  of  servants  on  foot 
and  on  horseback,  picturesquely  scattered  among 
the  rocks  and  shrubs  of  the  ascent.  Behind  these, 
in  couples  and  groups  of  three  or  four,  wrapped  in 
their  white  and  blue  mantles,  and  bending  above 
their  scarlet  saddles,  the  horsemen  of  the  Moorish 
escort  looked  like  a  long  procession  of  maskers  ;  and 
behind  them  came  the  endless  file  of  mules  and 
horses  carrying  trunks,  furniture,  tents,  and  provi- 
sions, flanked  by  soldiers  and  servants,  the  last  of 
whom  appeared  like  white  and  red  points  among  the 
green  of  the  fields.  This  many-colored  and  glitter- 
ing procession  animated  the  solitary  valley,  and 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  85 

presented  the  strangest  and  gayest  spectacle  that  can 
be  imagined.  If  at  that  moment  I  had  had  the 
power  to  strike  it  motionless,  so  that  I  could  con- 
template it  at  my  leisure,  I  think  I  could  not  have 
resisted  the  temptation.  As  I  turned  to  resume  my 
road,  I  saw  the  Atlantic  Ocean  lying  as  blue  and 
tranquil  as  a  lake  at  a  few  miles'  distance.  There 
was  but  one  ship  in  view,  sailing  near  the  coast,  and 
toward  the  strait.  The  commandant,  observing  her 
with  his  glass,  discovered  her  to  be  Italian.  What 
would  we  not  have  given  to  have  been  seen  and 
recognized  by  her! 

From  the  Red  Mountain  we  descended  into  an- 
other lovely  valley,  carpeted  with  red,  white,  and 
lilac  flowers.  There  was  not  a  house,  nor  tent,  nor 
human  being,  to  be  seen.  The  ambassador  deciding 
to  halt  here,  we  dismounted  and  sat  down  under  the 
shade  of  some  trees,  while  the  baggage-train  went 
on. 

Around  us,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  steps,  the  ser- 
vants were  grouped,  each  holding  a  horse  or  mule. 
The  artists  drew  forth  their  sketch-books,  but  it  was  of 
no  use.  Scarcely  did  one  of  the  vagabonds  perceive 
that  he  was  an  object  of  observation  than  he  hid 
himself  behind  a  tree,  or  drew  his  hood  over  his 
face.  Three  of  them,  one  after  the  other,  got  up  and 
went  grumbling  off,  to  sit  down  about  fifty  paces 
further  on,  dragging  their  quadrupeds  with  them. 
They  did  not  even  wish  the  animals  to  be  sketched. 
In  vain  the  vexed  artists  prayed,  and  coaxed,  and 


86  MOROCCO. 

offered  money ;  it  was  all  useless  waste  of  breath. 
They  made  signs  of  no  with  their  hands,  pointing  to 
the  sky  and  smiling  cunningly,  as  if  to  say,  "  We  are 
not  such  fools  as  you  think  us."  Not  even  the 
mulatto  boy,  or  the  Legation  soldiers,  who  were 
familiar  with  Europeans,  and  knew  the  two  artists, 
would  permit  their  persons  to  be  profaned  by  a 
Christian  pencil.  The  Koran,  as  we  know,  prohibits 
the  representation  of  the  human  figure,  as  well  as 
that  of  animals,  as  a  beginning  of  and  temptation  to 
idolatry.  One  of  the  soldiers  was  asked,  through 
the  interpreter,  why  he  would  not  consent  to  stand 
and  have  his  portrait  taken.  "Because,"  he  an- 
swered, "  in  the  figure  which  he  will  make  the  artist 
cannot  put  a  soul.  What  is  the  purpose  of  his  work 
then  ?  God  alone  can  create  living  beings,  and  it  is 
a  sacrilege  to  pretend  to  imitate  them."  The 
mulatto  boy  answered,  laughing,  "  Have  my  portrait 
taken  !  Yes,  when  I  am  asleep  :  then  it  does  not 
matter,  and  I  am  not  in  fault ;  but  never,  if  I  know 
it,  shall  it  be  done." 

Then  Signor  Biseo  began  to  draw  one  who  was 
asleep.  All  the  others,  grouped  about,  stood  turn- 
ing their  eyes,  now  on  the  painter,  now  on  their 
sleeping  companion.  Presently  the  latter  awoke, 
looked  about  him,  made  a  gesture  of  displeasure, 
and  went  off  grumbling,  amid  the  laughter  of  his  fel- 
lows, who  seemed  to  be  saying,  "  You  are  done  for 
now." 

After  an  hour  more  on  the  road,  we  saw  the  white 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  8/ 

tents  of  the  encampment,  and  a  troop  of  horsemen, 
sprung  from  we  knew  not  where,  came  toward  us, 
yelling,  and  firing  off  their  guns.  At  about  ten 
paces  off  they  stopped,  their  chief  shook  hands  with 
the  ambassador,  and  his  men  joined  our  escort. 
They  proved  to  be  soldiers  of  a  species  of  landwehr 
belonging  to  the  place  where  our  camp  was  pitched, 
and  forming  part  of  the  army  of  Morocco.  Some 
had  turbans,  some  a  red  handkerchief  bound  round 
the  head,  and  all  wore  the  white  caftan. 

The  encampment  was  placed  this  time  upon  a 
barren  spot ;  in  the  distance  on  one  side  was  a  chain 
of  blue  mountains,  on  the  other  verdant  hills.  At 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  tents  were  two  groups  of 
huts  built  of  stubble,  and  half  hidden  among  prickly- 
pear  bushes. 

We  had  hardly  seated  ourselves  in  the  tent  when 
a  soldier  came  running,  and  planting  himself  before 
the  ambassador,  said,  joyfully,  "  The  muna."  "  Let 
them  come  in,"  said  the  ambassador,  rising.  We  all 
rose  to  our  feet. 

A  long  file  of  Arabs,  accompanied  by  the  chief  of 
the  escort,  the  soldiers  of  the  Legation,  and  servants, 
crossed  the  encampment,  and,  ranging  themselves 
before  our  tent,  deposited  at  the  feet  of  the  am- 
bassador a  great  quantity  of  coal,  eggs,  sugar,  but- 
ter, candles,  bread,  three  dozen  of  hens,  and  eight 
sheep. 

This  tribute  was  the  mona  or  muna.  Besides  the 
heavy  tax  they  pay  in  money,  the  inhabitants  of  the 


88  MOROCCO. 

country  are  obliged  to  furnish  all  official  personages, 
the  soldiers  of  the  Sultan,  and  all  envoys  passing  by, 
with  a  certain  quantity  of  provisions.  The  Govern- 
ment fixes  the  quantity,  but  the  local  authorities  de- 
mand whatever  they  please,  without  reference  to 
the  quantity  received,  although  it  may  be  more  than 
is  required,  and  it  is  always  a  small  portion  of  that 
which  has  been  extorted  the  month  before,  or  will  be 
extorted  in  the  following  month  after  the  presenta- 
tion. 

An  old  man,  who  appeared  to  be  the  head  of  the 
deputation,  addressed,  through  the  interpreter,  some 
obsequious  words  to  the  ambassador.  The  others, 
who  were  all  poor  peasants  clothed  in  rags,  looked 
at  us,  our  tents,  and  their  tribute — the  fruit  of  their 
labor  lying  at  our  feet — with  an  air  of  mingled  as- 
tonishment and  depression  which  betrayed  a  pro- 
found resignation. 

A  division  having  been  quickly  made  of  the 
things,  between  the  ambassador's  larder  and  that  of 
the  escort,  muleteers,  and  soldiers,  Signer  Morteo, 
who  had  that  morning  been  named  Intendant-Gen- 
eral  of  the  camp,  rewarded  the  old  Arab,  who  made 
a  sign  to  his  companions,  and  all  silently  departed 
as  they  had  come. 

Then  began,  what  was  to  take  place  every  day 
from  that  time  forth,  a  great  squabbling  among  the 
servants,  muleteers,  and  soldiers,  over  the  sharing  of 
the  muna.  It  was  a  most  amusing  scene.  Two  or 
three  of  them  went  up  and  down  with  measured 


HAD-EL-GAKBIA.  89 

steps,  carrying  each  a  sheep  in  his  arms,  invoking 
Allah  and  the  ambassador  ;  others  yelled  out  their 
discontent  and  enforced  their  reasoning  by  beating 
the  ground  with  their  fists ;  Civo  fluttered  about  in 
his  long  white  shirt  with  the  profound  conviction 
that  he  was  very  terrible ;  the  sheep  baa-d,  the  hens 
ran  here  and  there,  the  dogs  yelped.  Suddenly  up- 
rose the  ambassador,  and  all  was  still. 

The  only  one  who  continued  to  grumble  was 
Selam. 

Selam  was  a  great  personage.  In  reality  there 
were  two  of  the  Legation  soldiers  who  bore  that 
name,  both  belonging  to  the  special  service  of  the 
ambassador ;  but,  as  when  we  say  Napoleon  we 
mean  the  first  of  that  name,  so  when  we  said  Selam 
we  meant  one,  and  one  only. 

He  was  a  handsome  young  fellow,  tall  and  slen- 
der, and  full  of  cleverness.  He  understood  every 
thing  at  a  glance,  did  every  thing  with  all  his  might, 
walked  in  a  series  of  leaps,  spoke  with  a  look,  and 
was  in  motion  from  morning  until  night.  Every- 
body came  to  him,  about  the  baggage,  the  tents,  the 
kitchen,  the  horses,  and  he  had  an  answer  for  all. 
He  spoke  Spanish  badly  and  knew  a  few  words  of 
Italian,  but  could  have  made  himself  understood  in 
Arabic,  so  speaking  and  picturesque  was  his  panto- 
mime. To  indicate  a  hill,  he  made  the  gesture  of  a 
fiery  colonel  pointing  out  to  his  men  a  battery  that 
is  to  be  assaulted.  To  reprove  a  servant,  he  fell 
upon  him  as  if  he  were  about  to  annihilate  him.  He 


90  MOROCCO. 

always  reminded  me  of  Salvini  in  -'Othello,"  or 
"Oromanes."  In  whatever  attitude  he  presented 
himself,  whether  pouring  water  on  the  ambassador's 
spine,  or  galloping  by  on  his  chestnut  horse,  nailed 
to  his  saddle,  he  was  always  the  same  bold,  grace- 
mi,  and  elegant  figure.  The  two  painters  were 
never  tired  of  looking  at  him.  He  wore  a  scarlet 
caftan  and  blue  drawers,  and  was  easily  distinguished 
from  one  end  of  the  camp  to  another.  His  name 
was  in  every  mouth  all  over  the  encampment. 
When  he  was  angry  he  was  a  savage  ;  when  he 
laughed,  a  child.  H  Signor  Ministro  was  for  ever 
in  his  mouth  and  in  his  heart,  for  he  placed 
him  after  Allah  and  the  Prophet.  Ten  guns  levelled 
at  his  breast  would  not  have  paled  his  cheek,  and 
an  undeserved  rebuke  from  the  ambassador  made 
him  cry.  He  was  about  five-and-twenty. 

When  he  had  done  grumbling,  he  came  near  me 
and  began  opening  a  box.  As  he  stooped,  his  fez 
fell  off  and  I  saw  a  large  blood-mark  on  his  head. 
In  answer  to  my  question,  he  said  that  he  had  been 
wounded  by  a  loaf  of  sugar.  "  I  threw  it  up  in  the 
air,"  he  said,  with  gravity,  "and  it  came  down  on 
my  head."  I  looked  amazed,  and  he  explained- 
"  I  do  it,"  he  said,  "  to  harden  my  head.  The  first 
time  I  fell  down  insensible,  but  now  it  only  draws  a 
little  blood.  A  time  will  come  when  it  will  not 
break  the  skin.  All  the  Arabs  do  it.  My  father 
broke  bricks  as  thick  as  two  fingers  on  his  head  as 
easily  as  I  would  break  a  loaf  of  bread.  A  true 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  g\ 

Arab,"  he  concluded,  with  a  haughty  air,  striking 
his  head  a  blow  with  his  fist,  "  should  have  a  head 
of  iron." 

The  encampment  that  evening  presented  a  very 
different  aspect  from  that  of  the  preceding  days. 
Everybody  had  fallen  into  their  own  habits  of  pass- 
ing the  time.  The  artists  had  erected  their  easels 
and  were  hard  at  work  in  front  of  their  tent.  The 
captain  had  gone  to  observe  the  ground,  the  vice- 
consul  to  collect  insects,  the  ex-Spanish  minister  to 
shoot  partridges ;  the  ambassador  and  the  com- 
mandant were  playing  chess  in  the  dining- tent  ;  the 
servants  were  playing  leap-frog  ;  the  soldiers  of  the 
escort  conversed  sitting  in  a  circle  ;  of  the  rest 
some  walked  about,  some  read,  some  wrote  ;  one 
would  have  thought  we  had  been  there  a  month. 
If  I  had  had  a  small  printing-press  I  could  have  found 
it  in  my  heart  to  edit  a  newspaper. 

The  weather  was  exquisite  ;  we  dined  with  the 
tent  open,  and  during  dinner  the  horsemen  of  Had- 
el-Garbia  shouted,  and  fired  off  their  guns,  while 
the  sun  went  down  in  splendor. 

Opposite  to  me  at  table  sat  Mohammed  Ducali. 
For  the  first  time  I  was  able  to  observe  him  atten- 
tively. He  was  a  true  type  of  the  wealthy  Moor — 
supple,  elegant,  and  obsequious  ;  I  say  wealthy,  be- 
cause he  possessed,  it  was  said,  more  than  thirty 
houses  at  Tangiers,  although  at  that  time  his  af- 
fairs were  supposed  to  be  in  some  confusion.  He 
might  have  been  about  forty  years  of  age,  was  tall 


92  .MOROCCO. 

of  stature,  with  regular  features,  fair,  and  bearded  ; 
he  wore  a  small  turban,  twisted  in  a  caic  of  the 
finest  of  the  fabrics  of  Fez,  which  fell  down  over  a 
purple  embroidered  caftan  ;  he  smiled  to  show  his 
teeth,  spoke  Spanish  in  a  feminine  voice,  and  had 
the  languid  air  of  a  young  lover.  In  former  days 
he  had  been  a  merchant  ;  had  been  in  Italy,  in 
Spain,  London,  and  Paris,  and  had  returned  to  Mo- 
rocco with  some  ideas  of  European  customs.  He 
drank  wine,  smoked  cigarettes,  wore  stockings,  read 
romances,  and  related  his  gallant  adventures.  The 
principal  reason  for  his  going  to  Fez  was  a  debt 
owed  him  by  the  Government,  which  he  hoped  to 
get  paid  through  the  good  offices  of  the  ambassa- 
dor. He  had  brought  with  him  his  own  tent,  ser- 
vants, and  mules.  His  glance  gave  one  to  under- 
stand that  he  would  have  brought  his  wives  also 
had  that  been  possible,  but  upon  my  hazarding  a 
question  in  that  direction  he  modestly  dropped  his 
eyes,  and  made  no  reply. 

After  dinner  I  satisfied  a  desire  which  I  had 
nourished  ever  since  leaving  Tangiers,  and  went 
out  to  see  the  camp  at  night.  I  waited  until  every 
one  had  entered  his  tent,  wrapped  myself  in  a  white 
mantle,  and  went  out.  The  sky  was  studded  with 
stars  ;  the  lights  were  all  out,  except  the  lantern 
that  was  attached  to  the  flag-staff";  a  profound  si- 
lence reigned  throughout  the  camp.  Very  quietly, 
and  avoiding  a  stumble  over  the  tent-cords,  I  moved 
to  the  left,  and  had  not  made  ten  steps  when  an  un- 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  93 

expected  sound  stopped  me  short.  Some  one  ap- 
peared to  be  tuning  a  guitar,  in  a  closed  tent  that  I 
had  never  visited,  and  which  stood  about  thirty 
paces  outside  of  the  circle  of  the  camp.  I  ap- 
proached and  listened.  The  guitar  accompanied  a 
soft  and  very  sweet  voice  singing  an  Arab  ditty  full 
of  melancholy.  Could  there  be  a  woman  in  this 
mysterious  tent  ?  It  was  closed  on  every  side,  so  I 
lay  down  on  my  face  and  tried  to  peep  underneath. 
Almost  at  the  same  moment  a  soft  voice  beside 
me  said,  "  Quien  es?"  (Who  is  there?)  "Allah 
protect  me !  "  I  thought,  "  there  is  a  woman  here." 
I  answered,  aloud,  "  An  inquisitive  person,"  with 
the  most  pathetic  voice  I  could  assume  at  the 
moment.  A  laugh  responded,  and  a  male  voice 
said  in  Spanish,  "  Bravo  !  Come  in  and  take  a  cup 
of  tea ! "  It  was  the  voice  of  Mohammed  Ducali. 
He  opened  a  little  do'or,  and  I  found  myself  within 
the  tent,  which  was  hung  with  some  rich  flowered 
stuff,  ornamented  with  small  arched  windows, 
lighted  by  a  Moorish  lantern,  and  perfumed  in  a 
way  to  do  honor  to  the  fairest  odalisque  of  the  Sul- 
tan's harem.  And  there,  luxuriously  stretched  upon 
a  Persian  carpet,  with  his  head  on  a  rich  cushion, 
lay  a  young  Arab  servant  lad,  of  gentle  and  pensive 
aspect,  with  a  guitar  in  his  hands.  In  the  middle  of 
the  tent  there  was  a  tea-service,  and  on  one  side 
smoked  a  perfume-burner.  I  explained  to  Ducali 
how  I  came  to  be  so  near  his  tent,  took  a  cup  of 
tea,  listened  to  an  air  sung  by  the  Arab  musician, 


94  MOROCCO. 

and  taking  my  leave,  resumed  my  wanderings. 
Avoiding  another  tent  where  more  of  Ducali's  ser- 
vants were  sleeping,  I  turned  toward  that  of  the  am- 
bassador. 

Before  the  door  lay  Selam,  stretched  on  his  blue 
mantle,  with  his  sabre  by  his  side.  "  If  I  wake  him, 
and  he  does  not  recognize  me  at  once,"  I  thought, 
"  it  is  all  over  with  me  !  Let  me  be  prudent."  I 
advanced  on  tip-toe,  and  peeped  into  the  tent.  It 
was  divided  in  the  middle  by  a  rich  curtain  ;  on  one 
side  was  the  reception-room,  with  a  table  covered 
with  a  cloth,  and  writing  materials,  and  a  few  gilded 
chairs.  On  the  other  side  slept  the  ambassador  and 
his  friend,  the  ex-minister  from  Spain.  I  thought  I 
would  leave  my  card  on  the  table,  and  advanced  a 
step,  when  a  low  growl  arrested  me.  It  was  Diana, 
the  ambassador's  dog.  Almost  at  the  same  moment 
the  master's  voice  called  out,  "  Who  's  that  ?  ' 

"  An  assassin  !  "  answered  I. 

He  knew  my  voice,  and  called  out,  "  Strike !  "  I 
explained  the  motive  of  my  visit,  at  which  he  laughed, 
and  giving  me  his  hand  in  the  darkness,  wished  me 
success  in  my  undertaking.  Coming  out  I  stumbled 
over  something  which  proved  to  be  a  tortoise,  and 
as  I  struck  a  match  to  examine  him,  I  discovered  a 
monstrous  toad  sitting  looking  at  me.  For  a  mo- 
ment I  thought  I  would  give  up  my  enterprise,  but 
curiosity  overcoming  disgust,  I  went  on. 

I  reached  the  tent  of  the  intendant.  As  I  bent 
down  to  listen,  a  tall,  white  figure  rose  between  me 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  95 

and  the  door,  and  said  in  sepulchral  accents,  "  He 
sleeps."  I  started  back  as  at  the  apparition  of  a 
phantom,  but  recovered  myself  immediately.  It  was 
an  Arab  servant  of  Morteo's,  who  had  been  with  him 
for  several  years,  and  spoke  a  little  Italian,  and  who, 
In  spite  of  my  white  hood,  had  recognized  me  in- 
stantly. Like  Selam,  he  had  been  stretched  before 
the  door  of  his  master's  tent,  with  his  sabre  by  his 
side.  I  wished  him  good-night,  and  went  on  my 
way. 

In  the  next  tent  were  the  doctor  and  Solomon  the 
dragoman.  An  acute  odor  of  drugs  pervaded  the 
neighborhood,  and  there  was  a  light  inside.  The 
doctor  was  seated  at  his  table,  reading  ;  the  drago- 
man was  asleep,  This  physician,  young,  highly  cul- 
tivated, and  of  very  gentleman-like  manners  and  ap- 
pearance, had  a  very  singular  peculiarity.  Born  in 
Algeria  of  French  parents,  he  had  lived  many  years 
in  Italy,  and  had  married  a  Spanish  wife.  Not  only 
did  he  speak  the  languages  of  the  three  countries 
with  equal  facility,  but  he  partook  of  the  character- 
istics of  the  three  nations,  loved  all  three  countries 
alike,  and  was,  in  short,  a  sort  of  Latin  three  in  one, 
who  was  equally  at  home  in  Rome,  in  Madrid,  and 
in  Paris.  He  was,  besides,  gifted  with  a  most  deli- 
cate and  acute  sense  of  the  ridiculous  ;  so  that, 
without  speaking,  with  one  furtive  glance,  or  slight 
movement  of  the  lip,  he  could  throw  into  relief  the 
ridiculous  side  of  a  person  or  thing  in  a  way  to  make 
one  burst  with  laughter.  At  the  sight  of  me,  he 


96  MOROCCO. 

guessed  at  once  the  reason  of  my  presence,  offered 
me  a  glass  of  wine,  and  raising  his  arm,  whispered, 
"  Success  to  your  expedition  !  "  "  With  the  aid  of 
Allah  !  "  I  rejoined,  and  left  him  to  his  reading. 

Passing  before  the  empty  dinner-tent,  I  turned  to 
the  left,  came  out  of  the  circle  of  the  encampment, 
walked  between  two  long  rows  of  sleeping 
horses,  and  found  myself  among  the  tents  of  the 
escort.  Listening,  I  could  hear  the  breathing  of  the 
soldiers  as  they  slept.  Guns,  sabres,  saddles,  shoul- 
der-belts, poniards,  were  scattered  about  before 
the  tents,  together  with  the  banner  of  Mahomet. 
I  looked  abroad,  across  the  country  ;  not  a  soul  was 
visible.  Only  the  two  groups  of  cabins  appeared  like 
black  and  formless  blots. 

I  turned  back,  passed  between  the  American  con- 
sul's tent  and  that  of  his  servants,  both  close-shut 
and  silent,  crossed  a  little  space  of  ground  where 
the  kitchen  had  been  planted,  and  stepping  over  a 
barricade  of  pots  and  saucepans,  reached  the  little 
tent  of  the  cook.  With  him  were  the  two  Arabs 
who  served  him  as  scullions.  All  was  black  within  ; 
I  put  in  my  head  and  called,  "  Gioanin  / 

The  poor  fellow,  afflicted  by  the  non-success  of  an 
omelet,  and  perhaps  worried  by  the  neighborhood 
of  his  two  "  savages,"  was  not  asleep.  "  Is  that 
you  ?  "  he  asked.  "  It  is  I." 

He  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then  turning  rest- 
lessly on  his  bed  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  die  pais  /  "  (Ah, 
what  a  country !) 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  97 

"  Courage !  "  I  said  ;  "  think  that  in  ten  days  we 
shall  be  before  the  walls  of  the  great  city  of  Fez." 

He  muttered  some  confused  words  in  which  I 
could  only  distinguish  the  name  of  his  native  city  in 
Italy,  and,  respecting  his  grief,  I  silently  withdrew. 

In  the  adjoining  tent  were  the  two  sailors — R.anni, 
the  commandant's  orderly,  and  Luigi,  from  the  Dora, 
a  Neapolitan,  and  such  a  kind,  pleasant,  handy  young 
fellow,  that  in  two  days  he  had  gained  the  good-will 
of  all.  They  had  a  light,  and  were  busy  eating 
something.  Lending  an  ear,  I  could  hear  some  por- 
tions of  their  dialogue,  which  was  very  curious. 
Luigi  inquired  for  whom  were  intended  the  crayon 
sketches  which  the  two  artists  made  in  their  albums. 
"  Why,  for  the  king,  of  course,"  said  Ranni.  "  What, 
without  any  color,  like  that  ?  "  demanded  the  other. 
"  Oh  no  !  when  they  get  back  to  Italy,  first  they  will 
color  them,  and  then  they  will  send  them."  "  Who 
knows  how  much  the  king  will  pay  for  them !  "  "  Oh, 
a  great  deal,  of  course  !  Perhaps  as  much  as  a  scudo 
(five  francs)  a  leaf.  Kings  think  nothing  of 
money." 

Once  more  I  left  the  circle  of  the  encampment, 
and  wandered  for  a  minute  or  two  among  long  rows 
of  horses  and  mules,  among  which  I  recognized  with 
emotion  the  white  companion  of  my  journey,  appar- 
ently sunk  in  profound  contemplation  ;  and  I  next 
found  myself  before  the  tent  of  M.  Vincent,  a  French- 
man residing  at  Tangiers,  one  of  those  mysterious  per- 
sonages who  have  been  all  over  the  world,  speak  all 


90  MOROCCO. 

tongues,  and  understand  all  trades — cook,  merchant 
hunter,  interpreter,  reader  of  ancient  inscriptions,— 
and  who,  having,  with  his  own  tent  and  horse,  at- 
tached himself  to  the  Italian  Embassy  in  the  capacity 
of  high  director  of  the  kitchen,  was  now  going  to 
Fez  to  sell  to  the  Government  French  uniforms 
bought  in  Algeria. 

I  looked  in  at  him  through  a  crack.  He  was 
seated  on  a  box,  in  a  meditative  attitude,  with  a 
great  pipe  in  his  mouth,  by  the  light  of  a  small  can- 
dle stuck  in  a  bottle.  But  what  a  strange  figure ! 
He  reminded  me  of  those  old  alchemists  in  the 
Dutch  pictures,  musing  in  their  studies,  their  faces 
illuminated  by  the  fire  of  an  alembic.  Meagre,  bent, 
and  bony,  he  looked  as  if  every  episode  of  his  life 
had  been  written  in  the  wrinkles  of  his  visage  and 
in  the  angles  of  his  form.  Who  knows  what  he  was 
thinking  about  ?  What  memories  of  adventurous 
journeys,  strange  meetings,  mad  undertakings,  and 
odd  personages  were  mingling  in  his  head  ?  Per- 
haps, after  all,  he  was  only  thinking  oi  the  price  of 
a  pair  of  Turco  breeches,  or  about  his  scanty  pro- 
vision of  tobacco.  Just  as  I  was  going  to  speak  he 
blew  out  his  light  with  a  puff,  and  vanished  into  the 
darkness  like  a  magician. 

A  few  paces  further  on  were  the  tents  of  the  com- 
mandant of  the  escort,  that  of  his  first  officer,  and 
that  of  the  chief  of  the  horsemen  of  Had-el-Garbia. 
I  was  in  the  act  of  looking  into  one  of  these  when  a 
light  step  came  behind  me,  and  a  hand  of  steel  closed 


HAD-EL-GARBIA.  99 

upon  my  arm.  I  turned,  and  found  myself  face  to 
face  with  the  mulatto  general.  He  withdrew  his 
hand  at  once,  and  with  a  laugh,  said,  in  a  tone  of 
apology,  "  Salamu  alikum  /  salimu  alikum !  " 
(Peace  be  with  you !)  He  had  taken  me  for  a  thief. 
We  shook  hands  in  token  of  amity,  and  I  went  on. 

In  a  few  moments  I  saw  before  me  what  appeared 
to  be  a  hooded  figure  seated  on  the  ground  with 
musket  in  hand,  and  concluded  that  this  must  be  a 
sentinel.  About  fifty  paces  further  on,  there  was 
another,  and  then  a  third ;  a  chain  of  them  all  around 
the  encampment.  I  learned  later  that  this  vigilance 
was  from  no  fear  of  violence,  but  simply  to  guard 
the  tents  from  thieves,  who  abound  there,  and  are 
extremely  clever  at  their  trade,  having  much  practice 
among  the  tribes  who  live  in  tents.  Fortunately  the 
frankness  of  my  movements  aroused  no  suspicion, 
and  I  was  allowed  to  finish  my  excursion. 

I  passed  by  Malek  and  Saladin,  the  envoy's  "two 
fiery  steeds,  stumbled  over  another  tortoise,  and  stop- 
ped  before  the  tent  of  the  footmen.  They  were  ly- 
ing on  a  little  straw,  one  upon  the  top  of  the  other, 
and  sleeping  so  profoundly  that  they  seemed  like  a 
heap  of  corpses.  The  boy  with  the  great  black  eyes 
lay  with  half  his  body  outside  of  the  tent,  and  I 
narrowly  missed  stepping  on  his  face.  I  felt  so  sorry 
for  him  that,  wishing  to  give  him  a  little  comfort  in 
the  morning  when  he  should  wake,  I  placed  a  piece 
of  money  in  his  hand  that  lay  open  on  the  grass, 
palm  upward,  as  if  begging  charity  from  the  spirits 
of  the  night. 


100  MOROCCO. 

A  murmur  of  merry  voices  drew  me  away  to  a 
neighboring  tent,  where  were  the  soldiers  and  ser- 
vants of  the  Embassy ;  they  appeared  to  be  eating 
and  drinking.  I  perceived  the  odor  of  kif,  and  rec- 
ognized the  voices  of  Selam  the  Second,  Abd-el- 
Rhaman,  and  others ;  it  was  an  Arab  orgie  in  full 
swing.  The  poor  fellows  had  well  earned  a  little 
diversion  after  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  and  I  passed 
on  without  disturbing  their  merriment  by  my  pres- 
ence. In  a  few  moments  I  reached  the  artists'  tent, 
which  completed  the  circle  of  the  encampment,  and 
my  nocturnal  excursion  was  over. 


CHAPTER  III. 

TLETA     DE     REISSANA. 

THE  next  morning  we  started  before  sunrise  in 
a  thick  wet  fog,  which  chilled  us  to  the  bone 
and  hid  us  from  each  other.  The  horsemen  of  the 
escort  had  their  cowls  over  their  heads,  and  their 
guns  slung  across  their  shoulders.  We  were  all 
wrapped  in  cloaks  and  mantles ;  it  seemed  like  au- 
tumn in  the  Low  Countries.  In  front  of  me  I  could 
discern  nothing  distinctly  save  the  white  turban  and 
blue  cloak  of  the  Caid ;  all  the  others  were  confused 
shadows  lost  in  the  gray  mist.  We  went  onward  in 
silence  over  the  rough  ground  covered  with  dwarf 
palms,  broom  and  wild  plums,  and  fennel,  in  groups 
compact  or  scattered  according  to  the  crossing  or 
forking  of  the  road.  The  sun,  appearing  in  the 
horizon,  gilded  our  left  side  a  moment,  and  again 
vanished.  The  mist  presently  grew  thinner,  and  we 
could  catch  glimpses  of  the  country.  It  was  a  suc- 
cession of  green  valleys,  into  which  we  descended 
and  came  up  again  almost  unconsciously,  so  gradual 
were  the  slopes.  The  banks  were  covered  with  the 
aloe  and  the  wild  olive.  The  olive  which  grows 


102  MOROCCO. 

prodigiously  here  is  left  almost  everywhere  in  its 
wild  state,  and  the  inhabitants  use  the  fruit  of  the 
argan  for  light  and  food.  We  saw  no  signs  of  habi- 
tation, neither  houses  nor  tents.  We  seemed  to  be 
travelling  through  a  virgin  country.  From  valley  to 
valley,  from  solitude  to  solitude,  after  about  three 
hours'  journeying  we  finally  reached  a  point  where 
the  larger  trees  and  wider  paths,  and  a  few  scattered 
cattle  here  and  there,  gave  token  of  an  inhabited 
place.  One  after  the  other  our  mounted  escort  spur- 
red their  horses  and  galloped  away  over  a  height, 
others  darted  off  in  another  direction,  the  rest  ar- 
ranged themselves  in  close  order.  Presently  we 
found  ourselves  in  front  of  the  opening  of  a  gorge 
formed  by  low  hills,  upon  which  stood  some  huts.  A 
few  ragged  Arabs  of  both  sexes  looked  curiously  at 
us  from  behind  the  hedge.  As  we  rode  into  the 
gorge  the  sun  shone  out,  and,  turning  an  abrupt  an- 
gle, we  found  ourselves -in  front  of  a  wonderful  spec- 
tacle. 

Three  hundred  horsemen,  dressed  in  all  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow,  and  scattered  in  a  sort  of  grand  dis- 
order, came  toward  us  at  full  speed,  with  their  mus- 
kets held  aloft,  as  if  they  were  rushing  to  the  as- 
sault. It  was  the  escort  from  the  province  of  Lar- 
acce,  preceded  by  the  governor  and  his  officials, 
coming  to  relieve  the  escort  of  Had-el-Garbia,  which 
was  to  leave  us  on  the  confines  of  the  province  of 
Tangiers,  a  point  that  we  had  now  reached. 

The  governor  of  Laracce,   a  dignified   old  man 


TLETA   DE  KE1SSANA.  103 

with  -a  great  white  beard,  stopped  the  advance  of 
his  horsemen  with  a  sign  of  his  hand,  saluted  the 
envoy,  and  then,  turning  to  the  troop,  who  seemed 
boiling  over  with  impatience,  made  a  vigorous  ges- 
ture as  if  to  say,  "  Break  loose !  "  Then  began  one 
of  the  most  splendid  lab-el-baroda  (or  powder-plays) 
that  could  be  desired. 

They  charged  in  couples,  by  tens,  one  by  one,  in 
the  bottom  of  the  valley,  on  the  hills,  in  front  and  at 
the  sides  of  the  caravan,  forward  and  backward,  fir- 
ing and  yelling  without  cessation.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  valley  was  as  full  of  the  smoke  and  smell  of 
powder  as  a  battle-field.  On  every  side  horses 
pranced,  arms  glittered,  mantles  floated,  and  red, 
yellow,  green,  blue,  and  orange  caftans  mingled  with 
the  shine  of  sabres  and  poniards.  One  by  one 
they  darted  by,  like  winged  phantoms,  old  and 
young,  men  of  colossal  proportions,  strange  and  ter- 
rible figures,  erect  in  their  stirrups,  with  heads 
thrown  back,  hair  streaming  in  the  wind,  and  mus- 
kets held  aloft  ;  and  each  as  he  discharged  his  piece 
gave  a  savage  cry,  which  the  interpreter  translated 
for  us  : — "  Have  a  care!  "  "  Oh,  my  mother !  "  "  In 
the  name  of  God!"  "I  kill  thee!"  "Thou  art 
dead!"  "I  am  avenged!"  Some  dedicated  the 
shot  to  a  special  purpose  or  person  :  "  To  my  mas- 
ter !  "  "  To  my  horse  !  "  "  To  my  dead!  "  "  To  my 
sweetheart !  "  They  fired  up  and  down,  and  behind, 
bending  and  twisting  as  though  they  had  been  tied 
to  the  saddle.  Here  and  there  one  would  lose  his 


lOd  MOROCCO. 

turban  or  his  mantle,  and  he  would  turn  in  full  career 
and  pick  it  up  with  the  point  of  his  musket.  Some 
threw  their  guns  up  in  the  air  and  caught  them  as 
they  fell.  Their  looks  and  gestures  were  like  those 
of  men  mad  with  drink,  and  risking  their  lives  in  a 
sort  of  joyful  fury.  Most  of  the  horses  dripped 
blood  from  their  bellies,  and  the  feet  and  stirrups, 
and  extremities  of  the  mantles  of  the  riders,  were 
all  bloody.  Some  faces  in  that  multitude  impressed 
themselves  upon  my  memory  from  the  first.  Among 
others,  a  young  man  writh  a  Cyclopean  head  and  an 
immense  pair  of  shoulders,  dressed  in  a  rose-colored 
caftan,  and  who  emitted  a  succession  of  roars  like 
those  of  a  wounded  lion  ;  a  lad  of  fifteen,  handsome, 
bareheaded,  and  all  in  white,  who  passed  three  times, 
crying,  "  My  God !  my  God !  "  a  long,  bony  old 
man,  with  a  most  ill-omened  visage,  who  flew  by 
with  half-shut  eyes  and  a  <;atanic  grin  upon  his  face, 
as  if  he  carried  the  plague  behind  him  ;  a  black,  all 
eyes  and  teeth,  with  a  monstrous  scar  across  his 
forehead,  who  writhed  furiously  about  in  his  saddle, 
as  if  to  free  himself  from  the  clutch  of  some  invisible 
hand. 

In  this  fashion  they  accompanied  the  march  of  the 
caravan,  ascending  and  descending  the  heights, 
forming  groups,  dissolving  and  re-forming,  with 
every  combination  of  color,  till  they  seemed  like  the 
fluttering  of  a  myriad  of  banners. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  end  of  the  gorge  the 
ambassador  stopped,  and  we  all  dismounted  to  enjoy 


TLETA    DE   REISSANA.  lOj 

a  little  repose  and  refreshment  under  the  shade  of  a 
group  of  olive-trees,  but  the  escort  from  Laracce 
continued  to  exercise  before  us.  The  baggage-train 
went  on  toward  the  spot  selected  for  the  camp. 

We  had  reached  the  Cuba  of  Sidi-Li?mani. 

In  Morocco  they  give  the  name  of  Cuba  (or  cu- 
pola) to  a  small  square  chapel,  with  a  low  dome,  in 
which  a  saint  lies  buried.  These  Cube,  very  frequent 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  empire,  placed  in  general 
near  a  spring  and  a  palm-tree,  and  visible  by  their 
snowy  whiteness  from  a  great  distance,  serve  as 
guides  to  the  traveller,  are  visited  by  the  faithful, 
and  are  for  the  most  part  in  charge  of  a  descend- 
ant of  the  saint,  heir  to  his  sanctity,  who  inhabits  a 
hut  close  by,  and  lives  by  the  alms  of  pious  pil- 
grims. The  Cuba  of  Sidi-Liamani  was  posted  upon 
a  little  eminence  at  a  few  paces  distant  from  us. 
Some  Arabs  were  seated  before  the  door.  Behind 
them  protruded  the  head  of  a  decrepit  old  man — 
the  saint — who  looked  at  us  with  stupid  wonder. 

In  a  few  minutes  our  kitchen  fires  were  lighted, 
and  we  were  breakfasting  ;  while  an  empty  sardine 
box,  thrown  away  by  the  cook,  and  picked  up  by 
the  Arabs,  was  carried  to  the  Cuba  for  examination, 
and  made  the  object  of  a  long  and  animated  discus- 
sion. Meantime,  the  lab-el-baroda  being  over,  the 
horsemen  had  dismounted,  and  were  scattered  all 
about  the  valley  ;  some  of  them  were  resting,  some 
pasturing  their  horses,  while  others,  seated  in  their 
saddles,  remained  to  keep  watch  as  sentinels  upon 
tbe  heights, 


106  MOROCCO. 

As  I  walked  about  with  the  captain,  I  then  for  the 
first  time  observed  the  horses  of  Morocco.  They 
are  all  small,  so  much  so,  that  upon  my  return  to 
Europe,  after  having  become  accustomed  to  them, 
even  middle-sized  horses  seemed  at  first  enormous 
to  me.  They  have  brilliant  eyes,  the  forehead  a 
little  flattened,  very  wide  nostrils,  the  cheek-bone 
very  prominent,  the  whole  head  beautiful  ;  the  shin- 
bone  and  tibia  slightly  curved,  which  gives  a  pecul- 
iar elasticity  of  movement ;  the  crupper  very  slop- 
ing, rendering  them  more  able  to  gallop  than  to 
trot,  indeed,  I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  a 
horse  trot  in  Morocco.  Seen  in  repose  or  merely 
walking  past,  even  the  finest  of  them  make  no 
show ;  but  put  to  a  gallop,  they  are  quite  changed, 
and  become  superb.  Although  they  have  much  less 
food,  and  are  more  heavily  caparisoned  than  ours, 
they  bear  fatigue  much  better.  Also  the  manner  of 
riding  is  different.  The  stirrups  are  very  short,  and 
the  reins  very  long.  The  rider  sits  with  his  knees 
almost  at  a  right  angle,  and  the  saddle,  extremely 
high  before  and  behind,  holds  him  in  a  way  that 
makes  it  almost  impossible  for  him  to  be  thrown. 
The  horsemen  wear  heelless  boots  of  yellow  leather. 
Most  of  them  have  no  spurs,  but  use  instead  of  them 
the  angle  of  the  stirrup  ;  some  wear  a  small  iron 
point  in  the  shape  of  a  dagger,  fastened  to  the  heel 
by  a  metal  band  and  chain.  Wonderful  things  are 
told  of  the  great  love  of  an  Arab  for  his  horse,  the 
animal  of  the  Prophet's  predilection  ;  he  is  said  to 


TLETA   DE  KEISSANA.  107 

consider  him  as  a  sacred  being  ;  that  every  morning 
at  sunrise  he  places  his  hand  upon  his  steed's  head, 
and  murmurs  Bismillah  !  (in  the  name  of  God),  and 
then  kisses  the  hand,  which  has  been  sanctified  by 
the  touch  ;  and  that  he  is  prodigal  of  cares  and 
caresses.  It  may  be  all  true.  But  as  far  as  I  could 
see,  the  Arab's  great  affection  for  his  horse  did  not 
prevent  him  from  lacerating  his  sides  in  a  quite  un- 
necessary way,  or  from  leaving  him  in  the  sun  when 
he  could  have  put  him  in  the  shade,  or  from  taking 
him  a  long  distance  to  drink,  with  his  legs  hobbled, 
or  from  exposing  him  a  dozen  times  a  day  to  the 
danger  of  breaking  his  limbs,  out  of  pure  mischief, 
or,  finally,  from  neglecting  his  trappings  in  a  way 
that  would  put  him  in  prison  for  six  months  if  he  be- 
longed to  a  European  cavalry  regiment. 

The  heat  being  very  great  we  remained  some 
hours  at  our  resting-place,  but  no  one  could  sleep  by 
reason  of  the  insects.  It  was  the  first  warning  of 
the  great  battle  that  was  to  be  waged,  growing  hot- 
ter every  day,  until  the  end  of  the  journey.  Hardly 
had  we  stretched  ourselves  upon  the  ground  when 
we  were  assaulted,  stung,  and  tormented  on  every 
side,  as  if  we  had  chosen  a  bed  of  nettles.  Cater- 
pillars, spiders,  monstrous  ants,  hornets,  and  grass- 
hoppers, big,  impudent,  and  determined,  swarmed 
about  us.  The  commandant,  who  had  taken  upon 
himself  to  raise  our  spirits  by  always  exaggerating 
the  perils  of  the  way,  now  assured  us  that  these 
creatures  might  be  considered  microscopic  compared 


IO8  MOKOCLO, 

with  the  insects  that  we  should  encounter  at  Fez 
and  later  in  the  summer ;  and  he  declared  that  so 
little  would  be  left  of  us  upon  our  return  to  Italy 
that  our  best  friends  would  not  know  us.  The  cook 
listened  to  these  remarks  with  a  forced  smile,  and 
became  pensive.  Close  by  there  was  a  monstrous 
spider's  web,  spread  over  some  bushes  like  a  sheet 
hung  out  to  dry.  The  commandant  exclaimed  that 
every  thing  in  that  country  was  gigantic,  formidable, 
miraculous !  and  insisted  that  the  spider  which  had 
made  that  web  must  be  as  large  as  a  horse.  But  we 
could  not  discover  him.  The  only  ones  of  us  who 
slept  were  the  Arabs,  curled  up  in  the  burning  sun 
with  a  procession  of  creeping  things  marching  over 
them.  The  two  artists  tried  to  sketch,  surrounded 
by  a  cloud  of  ferocious  flies,  which  drew  from  Ussi 
a  whole  rich  litany  of  Florentine  oaths. 

The  heat  becoming  less,  the  escort  from  Had-el- 
Garbia,  the  American  Consul,  and  the  Vice-Gov- 
ernor  of  Tangiers,  took  leave  of  the  ambassador 
and  turned  back,  while  we  pursued  our  way,  accom- 
panied by  the  three  hundred  horsemen  from  Laracce. 

Vast  undulating  plains,  covered  here  with  corn 
and  there  with  barley,  further  on  with  yellow  stubble 
or  with  grass  and  flowers  ;  here  a  few  black  tents 
and  the  tomb  of  a  saint ;  now  and  then  a  palm-tree ; 
from  mile  to  mile  three  or  four  horsemen  coming  to 
join  our  escort ;  an  immense  solitude,  a  sky  of  per- 
fect purity,  a  burning  sun  :  such  are  the  notes  I  find 
in  my  note-book  as  to  the  march  of  May  5th. 


TLETA   DE  REISSANA.  109 

The  encampment  was  at  Tleta  de  Reissana.  We 
found  the  tents  pitched  as  usual  in  a  circle,  in  a  deep 
and  shell- shaped  gorge  so  overgrown  with  tall  grass 
and  flowers  that  they  almost  impeded  our  steps.  It 
seemed  like  a  great  garden.  Beds  and  boxes  in  the 
tents  were  almost  hidden  by  tall  flowers  of  every 
form  and  color.  Close  to  the  tent  of  the  two  paint- 
ers rose  two  enormous  aloes  in  blossom. 

The  Italian  Consular  Agent  from  Laracce  met  us 
here.  He  was  Signor  G ,  an  old  Genoese  mer- 
chant, who  had  lived  for  forty  years  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  jealously  preserving  the  accent  of  his  native 
town ;  and  toward  evening  arrived,  from  no  one 
knew  where,  an  Arab  who  wished  to  consult  the 
doctor  of  the  Embassy. 

He  was  a  poor  old  man,  lame  and  bent ;  Sig- 
nor Miguerez,  who  spoke  Arabic,  questioned  him 
about  his  ailments,  and  searched  in  the  portable 
medicine  chest  for  a  remedy.  Not  finding  the  right 
one,  he  sent  for  Mohammed  Ducali,  and  made  him 
write  down  a  prescription  in  Arabic,  by  means  of 
which  the  sick  man  was  to  be  treated  when  he  got 
back  to  his  family  and  friends.  It  was  a  medicine 
much  in  use  among  the  Arabs.  Whilst  Ducali 
wrote,  the  old  man  muttered  prayers  ;  and  when  it 
was  ready,  the  paper  was  handed  to  him. 

Instantly,  before  there  was  time  to  say  one  word, 
he  crammed  it  into  his  mouth  with  both  hands.  The 
doctor  called  out :  "  No  !  no  !  spit  it  out !  spit  it  out! 
But  it  was  of  no  use.  The  poor  old  fellow  chewed 


I IO  MOROCCO. 

the  paper  with  the  avidity  of  a  starving  creature, 
swallowed  it,  thanked  the  doctor,  and  turned  to  go 
away.  They  had  all  the  pains  in  the  world  to  per- 
suade him  that  the  virtue  of  the  medicine  did  not 
reside  in  the  paper,  and  that  another  prescription 
must  be  written. 

The  incident  cannot  surprise  any  one  who  knows 
what  the  science  of  medicine  is  in  Morocco.  It  is 
almost  exclusively  exercised  by  quacks,  necroman- 
cers, and  "  saints."  Some  juices  of  herbs,  blood- 
letting, sarsaparilla  for  certain  diseases,  the  dry  skin 
of  a  serpent  or  chameleon  for  intermittent  fevers,  a 
hot  iron  for  wounds,  certain  verses  from  the  Koran 
written  upon  the  medicine  bottles,  or  on  bits  of  paper 
worn  round  the  sick  man's  neck  ;  these  are  the  prin- 
cipal remedies.  The  study  of  anatomy  being  for- 
bidden by  their  religion,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  to 
what  a  pass  surgery  is  reduced.  Amputation  is  held 
in  abhorrence.  The  few  Arabs  who  are  within 
reach  of  the  aid  of  European  surgeons  would  pre- 
fer to  die  in  atrocious  spasms  rather  than  submit  to 
the  cut  that  would  save  their  lives.  It  follows  that 
though  cases  of  injury  to  a  limb  are  frequent  in  Mo- 
rocco, especially  from  the  explosion  of  fire-arms, 
there  are  very  few  mutilated  persons  ;  and  those  few 
are  for  the  most  part  poor  wretches  whose  hands 
have  been  cut  off  by  the  executioner  with  a  dull 
knife,  and  the  hemorrhage  stopped  by  the  applica- 
tion of  boiling  pitch.  These  violent  remedies,  how- 
ever, especially  the  red-hot  iron,  sometimes  obtain 


TLETA    DE   REISSANA.  Ill 

admirable  effects ;  and  they  apply  them  them- 
selves brutally,  boldly,  without  any  aid.  Either  by 
reason  of  small  nervous  sensibility,  or  from  their 
souls  having  been  hardened  in  a  fatalistic  faith,  they 
resist  the  most  horrible  pain  with  tremendous  force 
of  will.  They  go  through  the  operation  of  cupping 
with  an  earthen  pot  and  enough  fire  to  roast  the 
spine ;  they  open  boils  with  their  daggers,  driving 
them  in  at  the  risk  of  cutting  an  artery  ;  and  they 
will  apply  fire  to  an  open  wound  on  their  own  arm, 
blowing  away  the  smoke  of  the  frizzling  flesh  with- 
out a  groan.  The  maladies  that  are  most  prevalent 
are  fevers,  ophthalmia,  scald-head,  elephantiasis,  and 
dropsy  ;  but  the  most  common  of  all  is  syphilis, 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation,  altered 
and  reproduced  in  strange  and  horrid  forms,  with 
which  whole  tribes  are  infected,  and  of  which  a 
large  proportion  die  ;  and  the  mortality  would  no 
doubt  be  even  greater  but  for  their  extreme  sobri- 
ety in  eating,  to  which  both  their  poverty  and  the 
exigencies  of  the  climate  compel  them.  European 
physicians  there  are  none  excepting  in  the  cities  of 
the  coast ;  in  Fez  itself  there  are  none,  unless  some 
renegade  quack  who  has  fled  from  Algeria  or  the 
Spanish  garrisons  may  be  counted  such.  When  the 
Emperor,  or  a  Minister,  or  a  rich  Moor  falls  ill,  he 
sends  for  a  European  doctor  from  the  coast.  But 
this  is  never  done  except  in  cases  of  extremity,  and 
they  hide  their  infirmities  for  years,  so  that  when 
the  physician  does  arrive,  it  is  often  only  to  see  his 


I  1 2  MOROCCO. 

patient  die.  They  have  great  faith  in  the  skill  of 
European  doctors ;  the  sight  of  the  drugs,  the  chem- 
ical preparations,  the  surgical  instruments,  give  them 
an  immense  idea  of  the  power  of  science  ;  they 
promise  themselves  prodigies,  following  the  first  pre- 
scriptions with  the  docility  and  cheerfulness  of  peo- 
ple quite  certain  of  a  prompt  cure.  But  if  the  cure 
is  not  immediate;  they  lose  all  faith,  and  go  back  to 
their  quacks. 

The  evening  passed  without  any  event  worth  not- 
ing, beyond  the  discovery  of  a  monstrous  scorpion 
of  preternatural  blackness  on  the  pillow  of  my  bed. 
I  was  seized  with  a  momentary  terror,  and  carefully 
threw  the  light  upon  him  as  I  approached  with  cau- 
tious steps  ;  whereupon  I  was  able  to  read  upon  his 
back  the  following  reassuring  inscription  :  "  Ceasar 
Biseo  made  it — May  5M,  1876. 

At  dawn  in  the  morning  we  left  for  the  city  of 
Alkazar.  The  weather  was  dark.  The  gorgeous 
colors  of  the  soldiers  of  our  escort  shone  out  with 
marvellous  force  against  the  gray  sky  and  the  dark 
green  of  the  country.  Hamed  Ben  Kasen  Buhamei 
planted  himself  upon  a  height  above  the  road  and 
looked  complacently  down  upon  the  brilliant  cavalcade 
as  they  filed  by  in  close  order,  silent,  grave,  with  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  horizon,  like  the  advance  guard  of  an 
army  on  the  morning  of  a  battle.  For  some  time 
we  rode  among  olive-trees  and  high  bushes  ;  then 
we  entered  a  vast  plain  all  covered  with  flowers, 
violet  and  yellow,  where  the  escort  scattered  to  go 


TLETA    DE  REISSANA.  113 

through  the  lab-el-barode.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  convey  an  idea  of  the  strange  beauty  of  the  spec- 
tacle upon  that  flowery  plain,  under  the  threatening 
sky.  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  they  had  any  rule 
by  which  they  grouped  themselves  and  dissolved 
again  to  form  new  combinations,  but  that  morning  I 
fancied  it.  One  would  have  sworn  that  their  move- 
ments were  directed  by  a  ballet-master.  In  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  blue  mantles  there  would  ap- 
pear, as  if  sent  on  purpose,  one  in  a  white  cloak  ; 
and  a  company  of  white  caftans  surrounded  a  figure 
in  brilliant  rose-color,  looking  as  if  made  by  the 
stroke  of  an  artist's  brush.  Harmonious  colors  fol- 
lowed, met,  and  mingled  for  the  space  of  a  moment, 
and  then  dissolved  to  form  new  harmonies.  The 
three  hundred  seemed  multiplied  into  an  army  ;  they 
were  everywhere  wheeling  and  swooping  like  a  flock 
of  birds  ;  and  the  two  painters  were  driven  to  de- 
spair by  them. 

"Ah,  canaglie /"  —exclaimed  one, — "  if  I  only  had 
you  in  my  clutch  at  Florence!" 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ALKAZAR-EL  KEBIR. 

AT  a  certain  point  the  ambassador  made  a  sign 
to  the  caid,  and  the  escort  came  to  a  stand, 
while  we,  accompanied  by  a  few  soldiers,  went  a 
short  distance  beyond  to  visit  the  ruins  of  a  bridge. 
The  place  was  worthy  of  the  silent  respect  with 
which  we  stood  and  viewed  the  little  that  remained 
of  what  was  once  a  bridge.  Three  hundred  years 
ago,  on  the  fourth  of  August,  over  those  flowery 
fields,  fifty  cannon  and  forty  thousand  horsemen 
thundered  and  charged  under  the  command  of  one 
of  the  greatest  captains  of  Africa,  and  the  youngest, 
the  most  adventurous,  the  most  unfortunate  of  Eu- 
ropean monarchs.  On  the  shores  of  that  river  were 
put  to  death — by  the  implacable  scimitars  of  Arabs, 
Turks,  and  Berbers — the  flower  of  the  Portuguese 
nobility,  courtiers,  bishops,  Spanish  soldiers,  and 
soldiers  of  William  of  Orange,  Italian,  German,  and 
French  adventurers.  Six  thousand  Christians  fell 
that  day.  We  stood  upon  the  field  of  that  terrible 
battle  of  Alkazar,  which  spread  consternation 
throughout  Europe,  and  sent  a  shout  of  joy  from 

114 


ALKAZAR-EL-KEBJR.  1 1  5 

Fez  to  Constantinople.  Over  that  bridge  passed  at 
that  time  the  road  to  Alkazar.  Near  it  was  the 
camp  of  Muley  Moluk,  Sultan  of  Morocco.  Muley 
Moluk  came  from  Alkazar,  the  King  of  Portugal 
from  Arzilla.  The  battle  was  fought  upon  that  plain, 
and  along  the  shores  of  the  river.  Beyond  the  ruins 
of  the  bridge  there  was  not  a  stone  or  a  sign  to  re- 
cord it.  From  which  side  had  the  cavalry  of  the 
Duke  of  Riveiro  made  its  first  victorious  charge  ? 
Where  had  Muley  Ahmed  fought  the  brother  of  the 
Sultan,  the  future  conqueror  of  the  Soudan,  a  captain 
suspected  of  cowardice  in  the  morning,  a  victorious 
monarch  in  the  evening?  At  what  point  on  the 
river  was  drowned  Mohammed  the  Black,  the  dis- 
crowned fratricide  and  provoker  of  the  war?  At 
what  angle  of  the  field  had  King  Sebastian  received 
those  death-wounds  that  killed  with  him  the  inde- 
pendence of  Portugal  and  the  last  hopes  of  Cam- 
oens  ?  And  where  stood  the  litter  of  Sultan  Moluk 
when  he  expired  among  his  officers,  with  his  finger 
on  his  lip  ?  Whilst  these  thoughts  were  passing 
through  our  minds,  the  escort  stood  afar  off,  motion- 
less on  that  famous  field,  like  a  handful  of  Muley 
Ahmed's  cavalry  brought  to  life  by  the  noise  of  our 
passage.  And  yet  very  likely  not  one  among  those 
soldiers  knew  that  this  had  been  the  battlefield  of 
three  kings,  the  glory  of  their  ancestors  ;  and  when 
we  resumed  our  march,  they  glanced  about  with  cu- 
rious eyes,  as  if  seeking  among  the  grass  and  flow- 
ers for  the  reason  of  our  halt. 


Il6  MOROCCO. 

We  crossed  the  Mkhacem  and  the  Uarrur,  two 
small  affluents  of  the  Kus,  or  Lukkos,  the  Lixos  of 
the  ancients,  which  from  the  mountains  of  the  Rif 
where  it  is  born,  throws  itself  into  the  Atlantic  at 
Laracce  ;  and  continued  our  way  toward  Alkazar 
over  a  succession  of  arid  hills,  meeting  only  an  oc- 
casional camel  with  his  driver. 

At  last,  we  thought  as  we  rode  along,  we  shall  ar- 
rive at  a  city !  It  was  three  days  since  we  had  seen 
a  house,  and  every  one  felt  a  wish  to  get  away  for  a 
day  from  the  monotony  of  desert  life.  Besides,  Al- 
kazar was  the  first  of  the  towns  of  the  interior  that 
we  should  reach,  and  our  curiosity  was  very  lively. 
The  escort  fell  into  order  as  we  approached  the 
place.  We  almost  unconsciously  ranged  ourselves 
in  two  ranks,  with  the  ambassador  in  front  flanked 
by  his  two  interpreters.  The  weather  had  cleared 
up,  and  a  cheerful  impatience  animated  the  whole 
caravan. 

Suddenly,  from  the  top  of  a  hill,  we  saw  in  the 
plain  below,  surrounded  by  gardens,  the  city  of  Al- 
kazar, crowned  with  towers,  minarets,  and  palms, 
and  at  the  same  moment  there  burst  forth  the  crack- 
ing of  musketry  and  the  sound  of  a  most  infernal 
din  of  music. 

It  was  the  governor  coming  to  meet  us  with  his 
staff,  a  company  of  foot-soldiers,  and  a  band  of  mu- 
sic. In  a  few  minutes  we  met. 

Ah !  he  who  has  not  seen  the  Alkazar  band,  with 
its  ten  pipers,  and  horn-players,  old  men  of  a  hun- 


ALKAZAR-EL-KEBIR.  1 1 7 

dred  years  and  boys  often,  all  mounted  on  donkeys 
about  as  large  as  dogs,  ragged  and  half  naked,  with 
their  shaven  heads,  their  satyr-like  gestures,  their 
mummy  faces,  has  not  seen,  I  think,  the  most  sadly 
comic  spectacle  that  can  be  witnessed  under  the  wide 
sky. 

Whilst  the  aged  governor  was  giving  welcome  to 
our  chief,  the  soldiers  fired  their  muskets  in  the  air, 
and  the  band  continued  to  play.  We  advanced  to 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  city,  to  an  arid  field  where 
the  tents  were  to  be  pitched. 

The  band  accompanied  us,  still  playing.  The  din- 
ner tent  was  pitched  and  made  ready,  and  we  en- 
tered it  while  the  escort  fired  their  muskets. 

Meanwhile  the  band,  ranged  before  the  tent,  con- 
tinued to  blow  with  increasing  ferocity,  but  a  suppli- 
cating gesture  from  the  ambassador  silenced  it  at 
last.  Then  we  assisted  at  a  curious  scene. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  there  presented  them- 
selves to  the  ambassador,  one  on  the  right  and  the 
other  on  the  left,  a  black  man  and  an  Arab.  The 
black,  handsomely  dressed  in  a  white  turban  and  a 
blue  caftan,  deposited  at  his  feet  a  jar  of  milk,  a  bas- 
ket of  oranges,  and  a  dish  of  cucussu ;  the  Arab, 
poorly  attired  in  the  usual  burnouse,  placed  before 
him  a  sheep.  This  done,  the  two  darted  lightning 
glances  at  each  other.  They  were  two  mortal 
enemies.  The  ambassador,  who  knew  them  and 
expected  them,  called  the  interpreter,  sat  down,  and 
began  to  question  them. 


Il8  MOROCCO. 

They  had  come  to  ask  for  justice.  The  black  was 
a  sort  of  factor  or  steward  of  the  old  Grand  Scherif 
Bacali,  one  of  the  most  powerful  personages  at  the 
court  of  Fez,  proprietor  of  much  land  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Alkazar.  The  Arab  was  a  countryman. 
Their  dispute  had  been  going  on  for  some  time. 
The  black,  strong  in  the  protection  of  his  master, 
had  several  times  imprisoned  and  fined  the  Arab, 
accusing  him,  and  supporting  his  accusation  with 
many  proofs,  of  having  stolen  horses,  cattle,  and 
goods.  The  Arab,  who  insisted  that  he  was  inno- 
cent, finding  no  one  willing  to  take  up  his  defence 
against  his  persecutor,  had  abandoned  his  village 
one  fine  day,  and  going  to  Tangiers,  had  there  en- 
quired who  among  the  foreign  ambassadors  was 
most  just  and  generous.  Being  told  that  it  was  the 
Minister  from  Italy,  he  had  cut  the  throat  of  a  sheep 
before  the  gate  of  the  Legation,  asking  in  this  sacred 
form,  to  which  no  refusal  was  possible,  for  protection 
and  justice.  The  ambassador  had  listened  to  his 
story,  had  intervened  through  the  agent  at  Laracce, 
and  had  called  upon  the  authorities  at  Alkazar  to  see 
to  it ;  but  his  own  distance,  the  intrigues  of  the  black, 
and  the  weakness  of  the  authorities,  had  all  combined 
to  put  the  poor  Arab  in  a  worse  condition  than  at 
first ;  and  he  was  indeed  again  accused  and  subjected 
to  new  persecutions.  Now  the  presence  of  the  am- 
bassador was  to  undo  the  knot.  Both  individuals 
were  admitted  to  tell  each  his  own  story  ;  the  inter- 
preters rapidly  translating. 


A  LKA  ZA  R-EL-KEB1R.  1 1 9 

Nothing  more  dramatic  can  be  imagined  than  the 
contrast  between  the  figures  and  the  language  of  the 
two  men. 

The  Arab,  a  man  of  about  thirty  years  of  age,  of  a 
sickly  and  suffering  aspect,  spoke  with  irresistible 
fervor,  trembling,  shivering,  invoking  God,  striking 
the  earth  with  his  fists,  covering  his  face  with  his 
hands  with  a  gesture  of  despair,  fulminating  at  his 
enemy  with  glances  that  no  words  can  describe.  He 
declared  that  the  other  had  suborned  witnesses,  in- 
timidated the  authorities,  that  he  had  imprisoned 
him,  the  speaker,  solely  to  extort  money,  that  he  had 
cast  many  others  into  prison  in  order  to  possess  their 
wives,  that  he  had  sworn  his  death,  that  he  was  the 
scourge  of  the  country,  an  accursed  of  God,  an  infa- 
mous being  ;  and,  as  he  spoke,  he  showed  the  marks 
of  the  fetters  upon  his  naked  limbs,  and  his  voice 
was  choked  with  anguish.  The  black,  whose  every 
feature  confirmed  one,  at  least,  of  these  accusations, 
listened  without  looking,  answered  quietly,  smiled 
slightly  with  the  edge  of  his  lip,  impassive  and  sinister 
as  a  statue  of  Perfidy. 

The  discussion  had  lasted  for  some  time,  and 
seemed  yet  far  from  a  conclusion,  when  the  ambas- 
sador cut  it  short  by  a  decision  that  was  received 
favorably  by  both  parties.  He  called  Selim,  who 
appeared  upon  the  instant  with  his  great  black  eyes 
shining,  and  ordered  him  to  mount  his  horse  and 
gallop  to  the  Arab's  village,  distant  an  hour  and  a 
half  from  Alkazar.  and  there  gather  from  the  in- 


120  MOROCCO. 

habitants  information  concerning  the  persons  and 
the  facts.  The  black  thought  :— "  They  are  afraid 
of  me  ;  they  will  either  be  silent,  or  speak  in  my 
favor."  The  Arab  thought,  and  he  was  quite  right, 
that  interrogated  by  a  soldier  of  the  embassy,  they 
would  have  courage  to  speak  the  truth. 

Selim  darted  off  like  an  arrow  ;  the  two  disputants 
vanished  and  were  seen  no  more.  We  heard  after- 
ward that  the  village  people  had  all  testified  in  favor 
of  the  Arab,  and  that  the  black  had  been  condemned, 
through  the  intervention  of  the  ambassador,  to  re- 
store to  his  victim  the  money  he  had  extorted  from 
him. 

Meantime  the  tents  had  been  pitched,  the  usual 
poor  wretches  had  brought  the  usual  muna,  and  a 
few  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  had  come  into  the 
encampment. 

As  soon  as  it  began  to  grow  cooler,  we  proceeded 
toward  Alkazar  on  foot,  preceded,  flanked,  and  fol- 
lowed by  an  armed  force. 

We  saw  from  a  distance,  in  passing,  a  singular 
edifice,  between  the  camp  and  the  town,  all  arches 
and  cupolas,  with  a  court  in  the  midst,  like  a  cem- 
etery. It  proved  to  be  one  of  those  zania,  now 
fallen  into  disuse,  which,  when  Moorish  civilization 
flourished,  contained  a  library,  a  school  of  letters 
and  sciences,  a  hospital  for  the  poor,  an  inn  for 
travellers,  besides  a  mosque  and  a  sepulchral  chapel ; 
they  belonged,  and  belong  still  in  general,  to  the 
religious  orders. 


A  LKA  ZA  R-EL-KEBIR.  1 2 1 

We  approached  the  gates  of  the  city.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  old  battlemented  walls ;  near  the  gate 
by  which  we  entered  were  some  tombs  of  saints  sur- 
mounted by  green  domes.  Hearing  a  great  noise 
over  our  heads  we  looked  up,  and  found  it  pro- 
ceeded from  some  large  storks,  erect  upon  the  roofs 
of  the  houses,  which  were  clattering  their  bills  to- 
gether, as  if  to  give  warning  of  our  coming.  We 
entered  a  street ;  the  women  rushed  into  their 
houses  ;  the  children  took  to  flight.  The  houses 
are  small,  unplastered,  without  windows,  and  di- 
vided by  dark  and  dirty  alleys.  The  streets  look 
like  the  beds  of  torrents.  At  some  of  the  corners 
lie  entire  carcases  of  donkeys  and  dogs.  We  trudge 
through  the  dirt,  among  great  stones,  and  deep 
holes,  stumbling  and  jumping.  The  inhabitants 
begin  to  gather  upon  our  track,  looking  at  us  with 
amazement.  The  soldiers  make  way  for  us  with 
their  fists  and  the  butts  of  their  muskets,  with  a  zeal 
which  the  ambassador  hastens  to  restrain.  A 
throng  of  people  now  follow  and  precede  us.  When 
one  of  us  turns  suddenly  round,  all  stop,  some  run 
away,  and  others  hide  themselves.  Here  and  there 
a  woman  slams  her  door  in  our  faces,  and  a  child 
utters  a  yell  of  terror.  The  women  look  like  bun- 
dles of  dirty  rags  ;  the  children  are  in  general  quite 
naked ;  boys  of  ten  or  twelve  have  nothing  on  but 
a  shirt  tied  round  the  waist  with  a  cord.  Little  by 
little  the  people  about  us  grow  bolder.  They  look 
curiously  at  our  trousers  and  boots.  Some  boys 


122  MOROCCO. 

venture  to  touch  the  skirts  of  our  coats.  The  gen- 
eral expression  of  the  faces  is  far  from  benevolent. 
A  woman,  in  full  flight,  throws  some  words  at  the 
ambassador  which  the  interpreter  translates  : — "  God 
confound  thy  race !  "  A  young  man  cries  out  :— 
"  God  grant  us  a  good  day  of  victory  over  these  !  " 
We  reach  a  small  square,  so  steep  and  stony  that 
we  can  with  difficulty  climb  it,  and  pass  a  line  of 
horrible  old  women  almost  completely  naked,  seated 
on  the  ground,  with  bread  and  other  matters  before 
them  which  they  appear  to  be  selling.  In  the  streets 
through  which  we  pass  there  is  at  every  hundred 
paces  a  great  arched  door,  which  is  closed  at  night. 
The  houses  are  everywhere  naked,  cracked,  gloomy. 
We  enter  a  bazaar,  roofed  with  canes  and  branches 
of  trees  that  are  falling  down  on  every  side.  The 
shops  are  mere  niches  ;  the  shopmen,  wax  figures  ; 
the  merchandise,  rubbish  offered  in  joke  and  hope- 
less of  a  purchaser.  In  every  corner  are  crouched 
sad,  sleepy,  stupid-looking  figures  ;  children  with 
scald-heads ;  old  women  with  no  semblance  of 
humanity.  We  seem  to  be  wandering  in  the  halls 
of  a  hospital.  The  air  is  full  of  aromatic  odors. 
Not  a  voice  is  heard.  The  crowd  accompanies  us 
in  spectral  silence.  We  come  out  of  the  bazaar. 
We  meet  Moors  on  horseback,  camels  with  their 
burthens,  a  fury  who  shakes  her  fist  at  the  ambas- 
sador, an  old  saint  crowned  with  a  laurel  wreath, 
who  laughs  in  our  faces.  At  a  certain  point  we 
began  to  see  men  dressed  in  black,  with  long  hair, 


PEOPLE  OF  ALKAZAR. 


ALKAZAR-EL-KEBIK.  12$ 

their  heads  covered  with  a  blue  handkerchief,  who 
looked  smilingly  at  us,  and  made  humble  saluta- 
tions. One  of  these,  a  ceremonious  old  gentleman, 
presently  came  forward  and  invited  the  ambassador 
to  visit  the  Mella,  or  Jews'  quarter,  called  by  the 
Arabs  by  that  insulting  name,  which  signifies  ac- 
cursed ground.  The  ambassador  accepting,  we 
passed  under  a  vaulted  door  or  gateway,  and  en- 
gaged in  a  labyrinth  of  alleys  more  hideous,  more 
wretched,  and  more  fetid  than  those  of  the  Arab 
city,  between  houses  that  seemed  mere  dens,  across 
small  squares  like  stable-yards,  from  which  could  be 
seen  Courts  like  sewers  ;  and  from  every  side  of  this 
dirt-heap  emerged  beautiful  women  and  girls,  smil- 
ing and  murmuring  : — Buenos  dias  ! — Buenos  dias  / 
In  some  places  we  were  obliged  to  stop  our  noses 
and  pick  our  way  on  the  tips  of  our  toes.  The  am- 
bassador was  indignant.  "  How  is  it  possible,"  said 
he  to  the  old  Jew,  "  that  you  can  live  in  such  filth?  " 

"  It  is  the  custom  of  the  country,"  he  replied. 

"  The  custom  of  the  country  !  It  is  shameful ! 
And  you  ask  the  protection  of  the  Legations,  talk  of 
civilization,  call  the  Moors  savages !  You,  who  live 
worse  than  they,  and  have  the  face  to  pride  your- 
selves upon  it!  "  The  Hebrew  hung  his  head  and 
smiled,  as  if  he  thought : — "  What  strange  ideas!  " 

As  we  came  out  of  the  Mella  the  crowd  again 
surrounded  us.  The  vice-consul  patted  a  child  on 
the  head,  and  there  were  signs  of  astonishment ;  a 
favorable  murmur  arose  ;  the  soldiers  were  obliged 


1 24.  MOROCCO. 

to  drive  back  the  boys  who  crowded  in  upon  us. 
We  went  with  quickened  pace  up  a  deserted  street, 
leaving  the  crowd  gradually  behind  us,  and  coming 
outside  the  walls  into  a  road  bordered  by  enormous 
cactus  and  tall  palm  trees,  felt  with  a  long  breath  of 
relief  that  we  were  free  of  the  city  and  its  people. 

Such  is  the  city  of  Alkazar,  commonly  called 
Alkazar-el-Kebir,  which  signifies — the  great  Palace. 
Tradition  says  that  it  was  founded  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury by  that  Abou-Yussuf  Yacoub-el-Mansur,  of 
the  dynasty  of  the  Almoadi,  who  conquered  Alonzo 
IX  of  Castile  at  the  battle  of  Alarcos,  and  who 
built  the  famous  tower  of  the  Giralda  at  Seville. 
It  is  related  that  one  evening  he  lost  his  way  while 
hunting,  and  that  a  fisherman  sheltered  him  in  his 
hut.  The  Caliph  in  gratitude  built  for  him  on  the 
same  spot  a  great  palace  with  some  other  houses, 
around  which  clustered  gradually  the  city.  It  was 
once  a  flourishing  and  populous  place  ;  now  it  has 
about  five  thousand  inhabitants,  between  Moors  and 
Jews,  and  is  very  poor,  although  it  draws  some  ad- 
vantages from  being  on  the  road  of  the  caravans 
that  traverse  the  empire  from  north  to  south 

Passing  near  one  of  the  gates  we  saw  an  Arab 
boy  of  about  twelve  years  old  walking  stiffly  and 
with  difficulty,  with  his  legs  wide  apart  in  the  most 
awkward  attitude.  Other  boys  were  following  him. 
When  he  came  near  we  saw  that  he  had  a  great  bar 
of  iron  about  a  foot  in  length  fixed  between  his  legs 
by  two  rings  around  his  ankles.  He  was  a  lean 


A  LKA  ZA  R-EL-KL  BIR.  1 2  5 

and  dirty  lad,  with  an  ill-favored  countenance.  The 
ambassador  questioned  him  through  the  interpreter : 

"  Who  put  that  bar  upon  you  ?  " 

"  My  father,"  answered  the  boy,  boldly. 

"  For  what  reason?  " 

"  Because  I  will  not  learn  to  read." 

We  did  not  believe  him,  but  a  town  Arab  who 
was  present  confirmed  what  he  had  said. 

"  Have  you  worn  it  long?  " 

"  Three  years,"  he  answered,  smiling  bitterly. 

We  thought  it  all  a  lie.  But  the  Arab  again  con- 
firmed it,  adding  that  the  boy  slept  with  the  bar 
upon  him,  and  that  all  Alkazar  knew  him.  Then 
the  ambassador,  moved  with  compassion,  made  him 
a  little  speech,  exhorting  him  to  study,  to  get  rid  of 
that  shame  and  torture,  and  not  to  dishonor  his 
family  ;  and  when  the  interpreter  had  repeated  it, 
he  was  asked  what  his  answer  was. 

"  My  answer  is  this,"  replied  the  boy,  "  that  I  will 
wear  the  iron  all  my  life,  but  that  I  will  never  learn 
to  read,  and  that  I  will  die  before  I  yield." 

The  ambassador  looked  fixedly  at  him,  but  he 
sustained  his  glance  with  unflinching  eye. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  ambassador,  turning  to  us, 
"  our  mission  is  over."  We  returned  to  the  camp, 
and  the  boy  with  his  iron  bar  re-entered  the  city. 

"  A  few  years  more,"  said  a  soldier,  "  and  there 
will  be  another  head  over  the  Alkazar  gate." 


CHAPTER  V. 

BEN-AUDA. 

THE  next  morning,  at  sunrise,  we  forded  the 
river  Kus,  on  the  right  bank  of  which  the  city 
of  Alkazar  is  situated,  and  again  advanced  over  an 
undulating,  flowery,  solitary  country,  whose  confines 
stretched  beyond  our  sight.  The  escort  was  scat- 
tered in  a  number  of  detached  groups,  looking  like 
so  many  little  corteges  of  a  Sultan.  The  artists  gal- 
loped here  and  there,  sketch-book  in  hand,  sketch- 
ing horses  and  riders.  The  rest  of  the  members  of 
the  embassy  talked  of  the  invasion  of  the  Goths,  of 
commerce,  of  scorpions,  of  philosophy,  eagerly  lis- 
tened to  by  the  mounted  servants  who  came  behind. 
Civo  lent  particular  attention  to  a  philosophic  dis- 
cussion ;  Hamed  listened  to  his  master,  who  was 
telling  about  a  wild-boar  hunt,  in  which  he  had 
risked  his  life.  This  Hamed  was,  after  Selim,  the 
most  notable  personage  in  the  whole  category  of 
servants,  soldiers,  and  grooms.  He  was  an  Arab  of 
about  thirty  years  old,  very  tall,  bronzed,  muscular, 
strong  as  a  bull ;  but  he  had  also  a  beardless  face, 
the  softest  dark  eyes,  a  voice,  a  smile,  a  grace  in  all 

126 


.BEN-AUDA.  127 

his  movements,  which  made  the  most  marked  con- 
trast with  his  powerful  person.  He  wore  a  white 
turban,  a  blue  jacket,  and  Zouave  trousers ;  spoke 
Spanish,  knew  how  to  do  every  thing,  and  pleased 
everybody,  so  that  the  vain-glorious  Selim  was 
jealous  of  him.  The  others  also  were  all  more  or 
less  handsome  young  fellows,  attentive,  and  full  of 
obsequious  solicitude.  When  one  of  us  looked 
back,  he  encountered  their  big  eyes  asking  whether 
he  needed  any  thing.  "What  a  pity,"  thought  I, 
"that  we  should  not  be  attacked  by  a  band  of  rob- 
bers, so  that  we  might  see  all  these  nimble  fellows 
put  to  the  proof!  " 

We  had  ridden  about  two  hours  when  we  began 
to  meet  people.  The  first  was  a  black  horseman, 
who  held  in  his  hand  one  of  those  little  sticks  with 
an  inscription  in  Arabic,  called  herrez,  which  the 
monks  give  to  travellers  to  preserve  them  from  rob- 
bers and  illness.  Then  came  some  ragged  old 
women  bearing  great  bundles  of  wood  upon  their 
shoulders.  Oh,  power  of  fanaticism  !  Bent  as  they 
were,  tired,  breathless,  they  still  found  strength  to 
launch  a  curse  at  us.  One  murmured,  "  God  curse 
these  infidels  !  "  Another,  "  God  keep  us  from  the 
evil  spirit !  "  About  an  hour  later  we  met  a  courier, 
a  poor  lean  Arab,  bearing  letters  in  a  leathern  bag 
slung  about  his  neck.  He  stopped  to  say  that  he 
came  from  Fez,  and  was  going  to  Tangiers.  The 
ambassador  gave  him  a  letter  for  Tangiers,  and  he 
hastened  on  his  way. 


1 28  MOROCCO. 

Such,  and  no  other,  is  the  postal  service  of  Mo- 
rocco, and  nothing  can  be  more  wretched  than  the 
lives  of  these  couriers.  They  eat  nothing  on  their 
journey  but  a  little  bread  and  a  few  figs  ;  they  stop 
only  at  night  for  a  few  hours  to  sleep,  with  a  cord 
tied  to  the  foot,  to  which  they  set  fire  before  going 
to  sleep,  and  which  wakens  them  within  a  certain 
time  ;  they  travel  whole  days  without  seeing  a  tree 
or  a  drop  of  water  ;  they  cross  forests  infested  with 
wild  boar,  climb  mountains  inaccessible  to  mules. 
swim  rivers,  sometimes  walk,  sometimes  run.  some- 
times roll  down  declivities,  or  climb  ascents  on  feet 
and  hands,  under  the  August  sun,  under  the  drench- 
ing autumn  rains,  under  the  burning  desert  wind, 
taking  four  days  from  Tangiers  to  Fez,  a  week  from 
Tangiers  to  Morocco,  from  one  extremity  of  the 
empire  to  the  other,  alone,  barefooted,  half-naked  ; 
and  when  they  have  reached  their  journey's  end, 
they  go  back !  And  this  they  do  for  a  few  francs. 

At  about  half-way  from  Alkazar  to  our  destination 
the  road  began  to  ascend  very  gradually  until  we 
reached  a  height  from  whence  we  saw  another  im- 
mense plain  covered  with  vast  tracts  of  yellow,  red, 
and  white  flowers,  looking  like  stretches  of  snow, 
striped  with  gold  and  crimson.  Over  this  plain 
there  came  galloping  to  meet  us  some  two  hundred 
horsemen,  with  muskets  resting  on  their  saddle,  led 
by  a  figure  all  in  white,  which  Mohammed  Ducali 
recognized  and  announced  in  a  loud  voice  to  be  the 
governor  of  Ben-Auda. 


BEN-AUDA.  129 

We  had  reached  the  confines  of  the  province  of 
Seffian,  called  also  Ben-Auda,  from  the  family  name 
of  the  governor,  which  signifies  son  of  a  mare ;  a 
name  which  had  taken  my  fancy  before  leaving 
Tangiers. 

We  descended  into  the  plain,  and  the  two  hun- 
dred of  Seffian  having  drawn  up  in  a  line  with  the 
three  hundred  of  Laracce,  the  governor  Ben-Auda 
presented  himself  to  our  chief. 

If  I  live  to  be  a  hundred  years  old  I  shall  never 
forget  that  countenance.  He  was  a  lean  old  man, 
with  savage  eyes,  a  forked  nose,1  a  lipless  mouth 
cut  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle  turned  downward. 
Arrogance,  superstition,  Venus,  kif,  idleness,  and 
satiety  were  written  upon  his  visage.  A  big  turban 
covered  his  forehead  and  ears.  A  curved  dagger 
hung  from  his  girdle. 

The  ambassador  dismissed  the  commander  of  the 
escort  from  Laracce,  who  at  once  withdrew  with  his 
horsemen  at  a  gallop ;  and  we  went  on  with  the  new 
escort,  and  the  usual  accompaniment  of  charging  and 
firing. 

Their  faces  were  blacker,  their  robes  more  gaudy, 
their  horses  finer,  their  yells  more  extraordinary, 
their  charges  and  manoeuvres  more  wildly  impetuous 
than  any  we  had  yet  seen.  The  further  we  ad- 
vanced, the  more  apparent  became  the  local  colcr  of 
all  things. 

In   all  that   multitude  twelve   horsemen,  dressed 

1  Naso  forcuto,  a  favorite  expression  with  the  author. 


1 30  MOROCCO. 

with  unusual  elegance  and  mounted  on  beautiful 
horses,  were  conspicuous,  even  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Arabs.  Five  of  them  were  colossal  young  men, 
who  appeared  to  be  brothers  ;  all  had  pale  bronzed 
faces  and  great  black  brilliant  eyes  under  enormous 
turbans.  These  five  were  the  sons,  and  the  other 
seven,  nephews  of  the  governor  Ben-Auda. 

The  firing  and  charging  went  on  for  about  an 
hour,  at  which  time  we  reached  a  garden  belonging 
to  the  governor,  where  we  dismounted  to  rest  and 
refresh  ourselves. 

It  was  a  grove  of  orange  and  lemon  trees,  planted 
in  parallel  rows,  and  so  thickly  as  to  form  an  intri- 
cate green  roof,  under  which  one  enjoyed  the  cool- 
ness, shade,  and  perfume  of  paradise. 

The  governor  dismounted  with  us,  and  presented 
his  sons, — five  as  handsome,  dignified,  and  amiable 
faces  as  are  often  to  be  seen.  One  after  the  other 
pressed  our  hands,  with  a  slight  bow,  casting  down 
his  eyes  with  an  air  of  boyish  shyness. 

We  were  all  presently  seated  in  the  garden,  upon 
a  beautiful  carpet  from  Rabat,  where  we  were  served 
with  breakfast.  The  governor  of  Ben-Auda  sat 
upon  a  mat  at  twenty  paces  from  us,  and  also  break- 
fasted, waited  upon  by  his  slaves.  Then  ensued  a 
curious  exchange  of  courtesies  between  him  and  the 
ambassador.  First,  Ben-Auda  sent  a  vase  of  milk 
as  an  offering :  the  ambassador  returned  it  with  a 
beefsteak.  The  milk  was  followed  by  butter,  the 
beefsteak  by  an  omelet ;  the  butter  by  a  sweet  dish, 


BEN-AUDA.  131 

the  omelet  by  a  box  of  sardines  ;  the  whole  accom- 
panied by  a  thousand  coldly  ceremonious  gestures 
—hands  clasped  upon  the  breast,  and  eyes  turned 
up  to  heaven  with  a  comical  expression  of  gastro- 
nomic enthusiasm.  The  sweet  dish,  by  the  way, 
was  a  species  of  tart  made  of  honey,  eggs,  butter, 
and  sugar,  of  which  the  Arabs  are  extremely  fond, 
and  about  which  they  have  an  odd  superstition— 
that  if  while  the  woman  is  cooking  it  a  man  should 
happen  to  enter  the  room,  the  tart  goes  wrong,  and 
even  if  it  could  be  eaten  it  would  not  be  prudent  to 
do  so.  "  And  wine  ?  "  some  one  asked  ;  "  should 
we  not  offer  him  some  wine  ?  "  There  was  some 
discussion.  It  was  asserted  that  governor  Ben- 
Auda  was  in  secret  devoted  to  the  bottle  ;  but  how 
could  he  drink  in  the  presence  of  his  soldiers  ?  It 
was  decided  not  to  send  any.  To  me,  however,  it 
seemed  that  he  cast  very  soft  glances  at  the  bottles, 
much  softer  than  those  with  which  he  favored  us. 
During  the  whole  time  that  he  sat  there  on  his  mat, 
except  when  he  was  giving  thanks  for  gifts,  he 
maintained  a  frowning  expression  of  pride  and  an- 
ger that  made  me  wish  to  have  under  my  orders  our 
forty  companies  of  bersaglieri,*  that  I  might  parade 
them  under  his  nose. 

Mohammed  Ducali  meantime  was  relating  to  me 
a  notable  episode  in  the  history  of  Ben-Auda,  in 
which  family  the  government  of  Seffian  has  been 
for  ages.  The  people  of  this  province  are  brave 

*  Bersaglieri,  Italian  riflemen. 


132  MOROCCO. 

and  turbulent ;  and  they  are  said  to  have  given 
proof  of  their  valor  in  the  late  war  with  Spain, 
when,  at  the  battle  of  Vad-Ras,  in  March,  1861, 
Sidi  Absalam  Ben-Abd-el-Krim  Ben-Auda,  then 
governor  of  the  whole  province  of  Garb,  was  killed. 
To  this  Absalam  succeeded  his  eldest  son,  Sidi  Abd- 
el-Krim.  He  was  a  violent  and  dissipated  man, 
who  despoiled  his  people  by  taxation  and  tormented 
them  with  a  capricious  ferocity.  One  day  he  inti- 
mated to  one  Gileli  Ruqui  that  he  desired  a  large 
sum  of  money.  The  man  excused  himself  on  the 
plea  of  poverty.  He  was  loaded  with  chains  and 
cast  into  prison.  The  family  and  friends  of  the  pris- 
oner sold  all  they  had  and  brought  the  desired  sum 
to  Sidi  Abd-el-Krim.  Gileli  came  out  of  prison, 
and  having  assembled  all  his  friends,  they  took  a 
solemn  oath  to  kill  the  governor.  His  house  was 
situated  at  about  two  hours'  ride  from  the  gar- 
den where  we  were.  The  conspirators  attacked  it 
in  the  night  in  force.  They  killed  the  sentinels, 
broke  into  the  hall,  strangled  and  poniarded  Sidi 
Abd-el-Krim,  his  wives,  children,  servants,  and 
slaves ;  sacked  and  burned  the  house,  and  then 
threw  themselves  into  the  open  country,  raising  the 
cry  of  revolt.  The  relatives  and  partisans  of  Ben- 
Auda  gathered  themselves  together  and  marched 
against  the  rebels  ;  the  rebels  dispersed  them,  and 
rebellion  broke  out  all  over  the  Garb.  Then  the 
Sultan  sent  an  army  ;  the  revolt,  after  a  furious  re- 
sistance, was  put  down,  and  the  heads  of  the  leaders 


BEN-AUDA.  133 

hung  from  the  gates  of  Fez  and  Morocco  ;  the  land 
of  the  Benimalek  was  divided  from  the  province  ; 
the  house  of  Ben-Auda  was  rebuilt  ;  and  Sidi- Mo- 
hammed Ben-Auda,  brother  of  the  murdered  man, 
and  guest  of  the  Italian  embassy,  assumed  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  land  of  his  fathers.  It  was  a  passing 
victory  of  desperation  over  tyranny,  followed  by  a 
harder  tyranny  than  before  ;  in  these  words  may  be 
summed  up  the  history  of  every  province  of  the 
empire,  and,  perhaps,  at  that  very  moment  there  was 
a  predestined  Gileli  Ruqui  for  Sidi-Mohammed  Ben- 
Auda. 

Before  sunset  we  reached  our  encampment,  which 
was  not  very  far  off,  on  a  solitary  plain,  at  the  foot 
of  a  small  eminence  on  which  was  a  Cuba  flanked 
by  a  palm  tree. 

The  ambassador  had  hardly  arrived,  when  the 
mono,  was  brought  and  deposited  as  usual  before  his 
tent,  in  the  presence  of  the  intendant,  the  caid,  the 
soldiers,  and  servants.  Whilst  they  were  busy  mak- 
ing the  division,  I  saw,  as  I  raised  my  eyes  toward 
the  Cuba,  a  man  of  tall  stature  and  strange  aspect 
coming  down  with  long  strides  toward  the  encamp- 
ment. There  was  no  doubt  about  it :  here  was  the 
hermit,  the  saint,  coming  to  make  a  disturbance.  I 
said  not  a  word,  but  waited.  He  skirted  the  camp 
on  the  outside  so  as  to  appear  suddenly  before  the 
ambassador's  tent.  He  moved  on  the  tips  of  his 
toes  ;  a  sepulchral  figure,  covered  with  black  rags, 
disgusting  to  behold.  All  at  once  he  broke  into  a, 


1 34  MOROCCO. 

run,  dashed  into  the  midst  of  us  ;  and,  recognizing 
our  chief  by  his  dress,  rushed  upon  him  with  the 
howl  of  one  possessed.  But  he  had  scarcely  time  to 
howl.  With  lightning  rapidity  the  caid  seized  him 
by  the  throat,  and  dragged  him  furiously  into  the 
midst  of  the. soldiery,  who  in  a  second  had  him  out 
of  the  camp,  stifling  his  roars  with  a  mantle.  The 
interpreter  translated  his  invectives  as  follows  :  "  Let 
us  exterminate  all  these  accursed  Christian  dogs, 
who  go  to  the  Sultan  and  do  what  they  please,  while 
we  are  dying  with  hunger !  " 

A  little  after  the  presentation  of  the  customary 
mona,  there  arrived  at  the  camp  about  fifty  Arabs 
and  blacks,  bearing  in  single  file  great  round  boxes, 
with  high  conical  covers  of  straw,  and  containing 
eggs,  chickens,  tarts,  sweets,  roast  meats,  cilsctissil, 
salads,  etc.,  enough  to  satisfy  an  entire  tribe.  It 
was  a  second  mona,  spontaneously  offered  to  the 
ambassador  by  Sidi- Mohammed  Ben-Auda,  perhaps 
to  do  away  with  the  effect  of  his  threatening  visage 
in  the  morning. 

That  personage  himself  presently  appeared  on 
horseback,  accompanied  by  his  five  sons  and  a 
crowd  of  servants.  The  ambassador  received  them 
in  his  tent,  and  conversed  with  them  through  the 
interpreters.  He  asked  one  of  his  sons  if  he  had 
ever  heard  of  Italy.  The  young  man  answered  that 
he  had  heard  it  mentioned  several  times.  One  of 
them  asked  whether  England  or  Italy  was  farthest 
from  Morocco  ;  how  many  cannons  we  had,  what 


BEN-AUDA.  135 

was  the  name  of  our  chief  city,  and  how  the  king 
was  dressed.  As  they  spoke,  they  all  examined 
curiously  our  neckties  and  our  watch-chains.  The 
ambassador  then  asked  the  governor  some  questions 
about  the  extent  and  population  of  his  province. 
Either  he  knew  nothing,  or  did  not  choose  to  tell ; 
any  how,  it  was  not  possible  to  get  any  information 
out  of  him.  I  remember  he  said  that  the  exact 
number  of  the  population  could  not  be  known. 
"  But  about  what  number  ?  "  was  asked.  Not  even 
about  the  number  could  be  known.  Then  he  ques- 
tioned us  again.  "  How  did  we  like  the  city  of 
Alkazar?  Should  we  like  to  stay  in  Morocco? 
Why  had  we  not  brought  our  wives  ? "  They 
drank  tea  with  us,  and  after  many  salutations  and 
genuflexions,  remounted  their  horses,  and  spurred 
away,  or  rather  disappeared  ;  for  as  there  was  not  a 
village  or  a  house  within  eyeshot,  all  those  who 
came  and  went  made  the  effect  of  people  who  had 
risen  out  of  the  ground,  or  vanished  into  thin  air. 

This,  like  every  other  day,  closed  with  a  splendid 
sunset,  and  a  noisy,  merry  dinner.  But  the  night 
was  one  of  the  most  disturbed  that  we  had  had 
throughout  the  journey  ;  perhaps  because  it  was 
necessary  in  the  land  of  Seffian  that  the  ambassador 
should  be  more  carefully  guarded  than  in  other 
places,  the  night  sentinels  kept  each  other  awake  by 
singing,  every  quarter  of  an  hour,  a  verse  from  the 
Koran.  One  intoned  the  words,  and  all  the  others 
responded  in  chorus,  in  loud  voices,  accompanied  by 


1 36  MOROCCO. 

the  neighing  of  steeds  and  the  barking  of  dogs.  We 
had  hardly  dropped  asleep  when  we  were  aroused 
again,  and  could  not  succeed  in  closing  an  eye.  By- 
way of  addition,  a  little  after  midnight,  in  one  of  the 
intervals  of  silence,  a  wild,  harsh  voice  arose  out  in 
the  fields,  and  never  ceased  until  dawn.  Sometimes 
it  approached,  then  seemed  to  recede,  then  ap- 
proached again  very  near,  taking  a  tone  of  menace, 
or  lamenting,  despairing,  and  bursting  out  now  and 
then  in  piercing  cries  or  yells  of  laughter  that  chilled 
one's  bones.  It  was  the  saint  wandering  about  the 
confines  of  the  camp,  and  calling  down  God's  male- 
diction on  our  heads.  In  the  morning  when  we 
issued  forth  from  our  tents,  there  he  was  erect,  like 
a  spectre  in  front  of  his  solitary  Cuba,  bathed  in  the 
first  rose  tints  of  dawn,  and  pouring  out  curses  in  a 
harsh  voice,  waving  his  skeleton  arms  above  his 
head. 

I  went  in  search  of  the  cook  to  see  what  he 
thought  of  this  awful  personage.  But  I  found  him 
so  busy  making  coffee  for  an  impatient  crowd  who 
were  all  attacking  him  at  once,  that  I  had  not  the 
heart  to  torment  him.  Some  were  talking  Arabic, 
Ranni  spoke  Sicilian,  the  Calefato  Neapolitan, 
Hamed  Spanish,  and  M.  Vincent  French. 

"  Ma,  I  can't  understand  a  word  you  say,  gallows- 
birds  that  you  are !  "  screamed  the  cook  in  despair. 

"  Ma,  this  is  Babylon  !  Let  me  breathe !  Do 
you  want  to  see  me  die  ?  Oh  che  pais,  mi  povrom  ! 
Oh,  what  a  country  for  a  poor  man  to  be  in !  They 


BEN-AUDA.  137 

all  talk  together,  and  no  one  understands  the 
other!" 

When  he  had  recovered  his  breath  a  little,  I 
pointed  out  the  howling  saint,  and  asked  him, 
"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  that  piece  of  im- 
pudence ?  " 

He  raised  his  eyes  to  the  Cuba,  looked  steadily 
at  the  saint  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  with  a 
gesture  of  profound  contempt  answered  in  Pied- 
montese  accent,  "  Guardo  e  passi  /  "l  and  with- 
drew with  dignity  into  his  tent. 

*  "Non  ragionaiti,  di  lor,  ma  guarda  e  fassa. " — Dante. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

KARIA-EL-ABBASSI. 

WE  struck  our  camp  and  moved  on  in  the 
usual  order,  amid  the  cries  and  musket- 
shots  of  the  escort,  arriving  in  two  hours'  time  at  a 
small  watercourse  which  marked  the  confines  of 
Seffian.  Here  we  were  met  by  a  large  company  of 
horsemen,  led  by  the  governor  of  the  province  which 
extends  from  Seffian  to  the  large  river  Sebu.  The 
escort  from  Ben-Auda  turned  and  disappeared  ;  we 
forded  the  stream,  and  were  instantly  surrounded  by 
the  new-comers. 

Bu-Bekr-Ben-el-Abbassi,  an  elegant  and  graceful 
personage,  pressed  warmly  the  hand  of  our  chief, 
saluted  amicably  Ducali,  his  former  school  com- 
panion, and  welcomed  the  rest  with  a  dignified  and 
graceful  gesture.  We  rode  on,  and  for  some  time 
not  one  of  us  could  take  our  eyes  off  the  new- 
comer. He  was  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  gov- 
ernors we  had  seen.  Of  middle  height,  and  slender 
figure,  dark,  with  soft  penetrating  eyes,  aquiline 
nose,  and  a  full  black  beard,  through  which,  when 
he  smiled,  gleamed  two  rows  of  beautiful  teeth.  He 

138 


THE  GOVERNOR  ABD-ALLA 


KARIA-EL-ABBA  SSI.  1 39 

was  wrapped  in  a  fine  snow-white  mantle,  with  the 
hood  drawn  over  his  turban,  and  mounted  on  a  jet- 
black  horse  with  sky-blue  housings.  He  looked 
like  a  generous,  beloved,  and  happy  man.  Either 
my  fancy  misled  me,  or  the  aspect  of  the  two  hun- 
dred horsemen  from  Karia-el- Abbassi  reflected  the 
benignity  of  the  governor.  They  appeared  to  me 
to  have  the  open  and  contented  expression  of  men 
who  had  for  years  enjoyed  the  miraculous  grace  of 
a  humane  government. 

This  appearance,  together  with  the  huts,  that  be- 
gan to  be  more  frequent  in  the  country,  and  the 
serene  weather,  refreshed  by  a  perfumed  breeze, 
gave  me  for  a  time  the  delusion  that  the  province 
was  an  oasis  of  prosperity  and  peace  in  the  midst  of 
the  miserable  empire  of  the  Scherifs. 

We  passed  through  a  village  composed  of  two 
rows  of  camel-skin  tents,  held  together  with  canes 
and  sticks  ;  every  tent  having  a  tiny  enclosure  sur- 
rounded by  a  cactus  hedge.  Beyond  the  tents  cows 
and  horses  were  feeding  ;  in  front,  upon  our  road, 
were  some  groups  of  half- naked  children  come  to 
look  at  us  ;  ragged  men  and  women  peeped  at  us 
over  the  hedges.  No  one  shook  his  fist  at  us,  no 
one  cursed  us.  Hardly  had  we  passed  the  village 
when  they  all  came  out  of  their  huts,  and  we  beheld 
a  crowd  of  some  hundreds  of  black,  hideous,  famine- 
stricken  wretches,  who  might  have  risen  from  some 
graveyard.  Some  ran  behind  us  for  a  while  ;  others 
vanished  among  the  irregularities  of  the  ground. 


140  MOROCCO. 

The  configuration  of  the  country  through  which 
we  were  passing  gave  rise  to  a  wonderful  variety  of 
picturesque  effects  as  the  escort  and  caravan  pro- 
ceeded. It  was  a  succession  of  deep  valleys,  parallel 
to  each  other,  formed  by  great  earth  waves,  and  all 
covered  with  flowers  like  a  garden.  Passing  from 
one  valley  to  another  we  would  lose  sight  of  the  es- 
cort for  a  moment ;  then  on  the  top  of  the  height 
behind  us  would  appear,  first  the  muzzles  of  the  mus- 
kets, then  fezes  and  turbans,  then  faces,  and  finally 
the  figures  of  men  and  horses,  rising  apparently  out 
of  the  earth.  Looking  back  from  a  height  we  could 
see  the  two  hundred  scattered  along  the  valley  amid 
the  smoke  and  re-echoing  noises  of  their  shots,  and 
far  along  behind,  the  servants,  soldiers,  horses,  and 
mules,  appearing  for  an  instant,  and  then  plunging 
into  the  depths  and  lost  to  sight.  Seen  in  that  way 
the  caravan  appeared  interminable,  and  presented 
the  grandiose  aspect  of  an  expeditionary  army  or  an 
emigrating  people. 

Karia-el-Abbassi  was  made  up  of  the  governor's 
house  and  a  group  of  huts  shaded  by  a  few  fig  and 
wild  olive  trees.  We  accepted  the  governor's  in- 
vitation to  rest  at  his  house,  and  the  caravan  went 
on  to  the  spot  selected  for  the  camp. 

Crossing  two  or  three  courts,  enclosed  between 
bare  white  walls,  we  entered  a  garden,  upon  which 
opened  the  principal  gate  of  the  mansion  ;  a  little 
white  house,  windowless,  and  silent  as  a  convent. 
A  few  mulatto  slaves  showed  us  into  a  small  ground- 


K ARIA-EL-ABB  A  SSI.  141 

floor  room,  also  white,  with  no  aperture  except  the 
door  by  which  we  entered,  and  another  little  door  in 
a  corner.  There  were  two  alcoves,  three  white  mat- 
tresses on  the  mosaic  floor,  and  some  embroidered 
cushions.  It  was  the  first  time  we  had  been  within 
four  walls  since  our  departure  from  Tangiers  ;  we 
stretched  ourselves  voluptuously  in  the  alcoves, 
and  awaited  with  curiosity  the  continuation  of  the 
spectacle. 

The  governor  came  in  wrapped  in  a  snowy  caic 
that  reached  from  his  turban  to  his  feet.  He  threw 
off  his  yellow  slippers,  and  sat  down  barefooted  on 
the  mattress  between  Ducali  and  the  ambassador. 
Slaves  brought  jars  of  milk  and  plates  of  sweetmeats, 
and  Ben-el- Abbassi  himself  made  the  tea,  and  poured 
it  out  into  beautiful  little  cups  of  Chinese  porcelain, 
which  his  favorite  servant,  a  young  mulatto  with  his 
face  tatooed  in  arabesque,  carried  round.  The  grace 
and  dignity  of  our  host  in  all  that  he  did  are  not  to 
be  described,  and  seemed  amazing  in  a  man  who  was 
probably  very  ignorant,  who  governed  a  few  thou- 
sands of  tented  Arabs,  and  never  in  all  his  life  per- 
haps had  seen  fifty  civilized  persons.  In  the  most 
aristocratic  salon  in  Europe  not  the  least  fault  could 
have  been  found  in  his  manners.  His  dress  was 
fresh,  neat,  and  fragrant  as  that  of  an  odalisque  just 
come  from  the  bath.  As  he  moved,  his  caic  showed 
beneath  gleams  of  the  splendid  and  varied  colors  of 
his  costume,  inspiring  in  the  spectator  an  ardent 
wish  to  tear  off  the  veil  and  see  what  was  hidden 


142  MOROCCO. 

under  it.  He  spoke  in  quiet  tones  and  without  the 
slightest  appearance  of  curiosity,  as  if  he  had  seen 
us  the  day  before.  He  had  never  been  out  of  Mo- 
rocco, and  said  that  he  should  like  much  to  see  our 
railways  and  our  great  palaces  ;  and  he  knew  that 
there  were  in  Italy  three  cities  which  were  called 
Genoa,  Rome,  and  Venice.  As  he  conversed,  the 
little  door  opened  behind  him,  and  the  head  of  a 
pretty  little  mulatto  girl  was  thrust  out,  which  rolled 
around  two  large  astonished  and  startled  eyes,  and 
vanished.  She  was  the  governor's  daughter  by  a 
black  woman.  He  was  aware  of  the  apparition,  and 
smiled.  There  followed  a  long  interval  of  silence. 
In  the  middle  of  the  chamber  rose  the  fumes  of  burn- 
ing aloes  from  the  perfume  burners  ;  before  the  door 
stood  a  group  of  curious  slaves  ;  behind  the  slaves 
were  palm  trees ;  and  over  all  smiled  the  clear  blue 
sky  of  Africa.  It  all  seemed  so  unreal  that  I  found 
myself  thinking  of  my  little  room  in  Turin,  and  of  its 
sometime  occupant  as  of  another  person. 

On  our  way  to  the  encampment,  which  was  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  governor's  house,  upon  a  high 
plain  covered  with  dry  grass,  we  for  the  first  time 
felt  the  scorching  power  of  the  sun.  It  was  only 
the  8th  of  May  ;  and  we  were  not  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  Mediterranean  coast,  and  we  had  yet  to 
cross  the  great  plain  of  the  Sebu. 

Notwithstanding  the  heat  our  camp  was  enliv- 
ened toward  evening  by  an  unusual  concourse  of 
people.  On  one  side  a  long  row  of  Arabs  seated 


KARIA-EL-ABBASSI.  143 

on  the  ground,  watched  the  manoeuvres  of  the  cav- 
alry escort ;  on  the  other,  some  were  playing  ball ; 
a  little  farther  on  a  group  of  women  huddled  in  their 
coarse  caics  observed  us  with  gestures  of  astonish- 
ment, and  a  throng  of  children  ran  about  every- 
where. The  population  seemed  really  less  savage 
than  those  we  had  left  behind. 

Biseo  and  I  .went  to  look  at  the  ball-players,  who 
immediately  left  off,  but  after  some  consulting 
glances  resumed  their  game.  There  were  fifteen  or 
twenty  of  them,  tall  fellows,  big  and  athletic,  with 
nothing  on  but  shirts  bound  round  the  waist,  and  a 
kind  of  mantle  made  of  coarse  and  dirty  stuff, 
wound  round  the  body  like  a  caic.  Their  play  was 
different  from  that  at  Tangiers.  One  struck  the 
ball  into  the  air  with  his  foot ;  all  the  others  rushed 
to  catch  it  as  it  fell,  leaping  up  into  the  air  as  if  they 
were  about  to  fly  ;  and  the  one  who  caught  it  struck 
it  up  again  in  his  turn.  Often  in  the  melee,  one 
would  fall,  and  others  falling  over  him,  and  others 
again  on  them,  the  whole  would  roll  about  together 
kicking  and  screaming,  and  with  small  regard  for 
modesty.  More  than  one  thus  turned  upside  down 
displayed  a  curved  dagger  at  his  girdle,  or  a  little 
purse  hung  from  his  neck,  containing  probably  some 
verses  from  the  Koran  as  a  charm  against  illness. 
Once  the  ball  fell  at  my  feet,  and  I  seized  it,  placed 
it  on  my  open  palm,  made  some  necromantic  ges- 
tures over  it,  and  launched  it  into  the  air.  For  a 
few  moments  not  one  of  the  players  dared  to  touch 


144  MOROCCO. 

it.  They  came  near  it,  looked  at  it,  touched  it  with 
a  foot  timidly  ;  and  it  was  not  until  they  saw  me 
laugh  and  make  signs  that  it  was  a  joke,  that  they 
ventured  to  pick  it  up  and  go  on  with  their  play. 

Meantime  nearly  all  the  boys  who  were  running 
about  had  gathered  around  us.  There  might  have 
been  fifty  of  them,  and  all  the  clothing  they  pos- 
sessed among  them  would  not  have  brought  ten- 
pence  at  the  ragshop.  Some  were  very  handsome, 
some  had  scald-heads,  most  of  them  were  coffee- 
colored,  and  the  rest  had  a  greenish-yellow  tint  as  if 
they  were  plastered  over  with  some  vegetable  sub- 
stance. A  few  had  tails  like  the  Chinese.  At  first 
they  stood  about  ten  paces  off,  looking  suspiciously 
at  us  and  exchanging  observations  in  whispers. 
Then  seeing  that  we  did  nothing  hostile,  they  came 
a  little  nearer  and  began  to  get  upon  tiptoe,  and 
bend  themselves  about  in  order  to  see  us  on  every 
side,  as  we  do  in  looking  at  statues.  We  stood  im- 
movable. One  of  them  touched  my  shoe  with  the 
tip  of  his  finger,  and  snatched  it  away  as  if  it  had 
burnt  him ;  another  smelled  at  my  sleeve.  We 
were  surrounded,  and  smelt  all  sorts  of  exotic  odors ; 
we  felt  as  if  they  were  plotting  something.  "  Come," 
said  Biseo,  "  it  is  time  to  free  ourselves  ;  I  have  an 
infallible  method  "  ;  and  he  pulled  out  sketch-book 
and  pencil,  and  made  as  if  he  were  about  to  copy 
one  of  their  faces.  In  a  moment  they  were  all  gone, 
like  a  flight  of  birds. 

A  little  later  some  women  approached.     "  Won- 


KARIA-EL-ABBASSI.  145 

derful !  "  said  we.  "  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  are 
not  coming  to  give  us  a  dagger-thrust,  in  the  name 
of  Mahomet ! "  But  they  were  only  poor  sick 
people,  who  had  scarcely  strength  to  walk,  or  hold 
up  their  arms  to  cover  their  faces  ;  among  them 
there  was  a  young  girl  whose  groans  moved  our 
compassion,  and  who  showed  only  one  blue  eye  full 
of  tears.  We  understood  that  they  were  seeking 
the  doctor,  and  pointed  out  his  tent.  One,  helping 
her  words  with  gestures,  asked  if  there  would  be 
any  thing  to  pay.  We  said  no,  and  they  tottered 
toward  the  doctor's  quarters.  We  followed  to  assist 
at  the  consultation.  "What  do  you  feel?"  asked 
Signer  Miguerez,  in  Arabic,  of  the  first  one.  "  A 
great  pain  here,"  pointing  to  her  shoulder,  "  I 
must  see  it,"  said  the  physician  ;  "  take  off  your 
mantle  a  moment."  The  woman  did  not  move. 
This  is  the  great  point !  Not  one  of  them,  not  even 
a  woman  of  ninety  will  let  herself  be  seen,  and  all 
pretend  that  the  doctor  can  divine  what  is  the  mat- 
ter. "  Come,  will  you  or  will  you  not  unveil  your- 
self?" said  Miguerez.  No  reply.  "Well,  let  me 
hear  the  others,"  and  he  questioned  them,  while  the 
first  withdrew,  sadly  enough.  The  others  had  no 
need  to  unveil,  and  the  doctor  distributed  pills  and 
potions,  and  sent  them  away  "  with  God."  Poor 
creatures !  Not  one  of  them  was  more  than  thirty- 
years  old,  and  already  youth  was  over  for  them, 
and  with  its  departure  had  come  the  fatigue,  brutal 
treatment,  and  contempt,  which  make  an  Arab 


MOROCCO. 


woman's  old  age  horrible  ;  instruments  for  man's 
pleasure  up  to  twenty,  beasts  of  burthen  until  death. 
The  dinner  was  made  gay  by  a  visit  from  Ben-el- 
Abbassi,  and  the  night  was  disturbed  by  a  frightful 
invasion  of  insects.  Already  during  the  heat  of  the 
day  I  had  foreseen  the  coming  terrors  in  the  un- 
usual buzzing  and  swarming  which  was  apparent 
among  the  grass.  The  ants  were  making  long  black 
lines,  beetles  were  in  bunches,  and  grasshoppers  as 
thick  as  flies  ;  and  with  them  a  great  number  of 
other  insects  unseen  until  now,  which  did  not  in- 
spire me  with  confidence.  Captain  de  Boccard,  the 
professor  of  entomology,  named  them  for  me. 
There,  among  others,  was  the  Cicindela  campestris, 
a  living  trap,  which  closes  the  opening  of  its  den 
with  its  own  large  head,  and  drops  down  into  the 
depths  the  incautious  insects  that  pass  over  it  ;  there 
was  the  Plieropsophus  Africanus,  which  darts  at  its 
pursuing  enemy  a  puff  of  corrosive  vapor  from  its 
tail  ;  the  Meloe  majalis,  dragging  along  its  enor- 
mous dropsical  belly  swollen  with  grass  and  eggs  ; 
the  Carabus  rugosus,  the  Pimelia  scabrosa,  the  Ce- 

Q 

tonia  opaca,  the  Cossyphus  Hoffmannseghi,  animated 
leaf,  of  which  Victor  Hugo  gives  a  fanciful  descrip- 
tion enough  to  chill  one's  blood.  And  a  great  num- 
ber of  big  lizards,  enormous  spiders,  centipedes  six 
inches  long,  crickets  as  big  as  my  thumb,  and  green 
bugs  as  big  as  pennies,  that  came  and  went  as  if 
they  were  preparing  by  common  accord  some  war- 
like expedition.  As  if  these  were  not  enough,  I  had 


A  CENTIPEDE. 


KARIA-EL-ABBA  SSI.  1 47 

scarcely  seated  myself  at  table  and  stretched  out  my 
hand  to  take  my  glass,  when  there  appeared  over 
the  edge  of  it  the  head  of  a  monstrous  locust,  which 
instead  of  flying  away  at  my  threatening  gesture, 
continued  to  look  at  me  with  the  utmost  impudence. 
And  finally,  by  way  of  climax,  Hamed  appeared 
with  the  face  of  one  who  has  escaped  a  great 
danger,  and  laid  before  us,  stuck  in  a  cleft  stick, 
nothing  less  than  a  tarantula,  a  Lycosa  tarantula, 
the  terrible  spider,  that  "  cuando  pica  d  un  hombre, 
when  it  stings  a  man,"  said  he,  "  Allah  help  him ! 
The  unfortunate  one  begins  to  laugh  and  cry, 
and  sing  and  dance,  and  nothing  but  good  music, 
very  good  music !  the  music  of  the  Sultan's  band, 
can  save  him."  The  reader  can  imagine  with 
what  courage  I  went  to  my  bed.  Nevertheless 
my  three  companions  and  I  had  been  in  bed  for 
some  little  time,  the  lights  were  out,  and  silence  pre- 
vailed, when  suddenly  the  commandant  sprang  into 
a  sitting  position,  and  cried  out  : — "  I  am  popu- 
lated!"  (lo  mi  sento  popolato  /)  Then  we  too  be- 
gan to  feel  something.  For  a  time  there  were  fur- 
tive touches,  timid  punctures,  ticklings  and  slight 
provocations  of  explorers  and  advanced  sentinels 
that  were  not  worthy  of  notice.  But  soon  the  big 
patrols  began  to  arrive,  and  a  vigorous  offensive  re- 
sistance became  necessary.  The  struggle  was  fero- 
cious. The  more  we  fought  the  hotter  grew  the 
attack.  They  came  from  the  head,  from  the  foot, 
and  dropped  from  the  curtains  of  the  bed.  They 


148  MOROCCO.- 

seemed  to  be  carrying  on  the  assault  under  the  di- 
rection of  some  great  insect  of  genius.  It  was  evi- 
dently a  religious  war.  Briefly,  we  could  resist  no 
longer.  "  Lights  !  "  roared  the  vice-consul.  We  all 
jumped  out  of  bed,  lighted  our  candles,  and  prepared 
for  strategy.  The  common  soldiers  were  slaugh- 
tered on  the  spot ;  the  leaders,  the  big  bugs,  first 
classified  by  the  captain,  and  sentenced  by  the  com- 
mandant, were  roasted  by  the  vice-consul,  and  I 
composed  a  funeral  eulogium  in  prose  and  verse 
which  will  be  published  after  my  death.  In  a  few 
minutes  the*  ground  was  strewn  with  wings  and 
claws,  legs  and  heads  ;  the  survivors  dispersed,  and 
we,  weary  of  carnage,  reciprocally  named  each 
other  knights  of  various  orders,  and  retired  once 
more  to  bed. 

The  following  morning  at  sunrise  Governor  Ben- 
el- Abbassi  presented  himself  to  escort  us  to  the  con- 
fines of  his  province.  We  descended  from  the  high 
table-land  on  which  our  tents  were  pitched,  and  saw 
spread  before  our  eyes  the  immense  horizon  of  the 
plain  of  the  Sebii. 

This  river,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  Magreb,  de- 
scends from  the  western  flank  of  the  mountain  chain 
that  stretches  from  the  upper  Atlas  toward  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar,  and  in  a  course  of  about  two 
hundred  and  forty  kilometres,  swelled  by  many 
affluents,  goes  in  a  vast  curve  to  throw  itself  into  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  near  Mehedia,  where  the  accumula- 
tion of  sand,  common  to  the  mouths  of  all  the  rivers 


LYCCSA  TAREXTUI.A. 


KARIA-EL-ABBA  SSI.  1 49 

of  Morocco  on  that  side,  prevents  the  entrance  of 
vessels,  and  produces  great  inundations  at  certain 
seasons.  The  valley  of  the  Sebu,  which  embraces 
at  its  commencement  all  the  space  lying  between 
the  two  cities  of  Laracce  and  Sale,  and  touches  at 
its  upper  extremity  the  high  basin  of  the  Muluia 
(the  great  river  which  marks  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Morocco),  opens  to  Europeans,  by  the  shore  and 
by  Teza,  the  way  to  the  city  of  Fez  ;  comprising, 
besides  Fez,  the  large  city  of  Mechinez,  the  third 
capital ;  which  gathers  to  itself,  it  may  be  said,  all 
the  political  life  of  the  empire,  and  is  the  principal 
seat  of  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  Scher.  The 
Sebu,  it  may  be  noted,  marks  in  the  north  the  con- 
fines which  the  Sultan  never  oversteps,  except  in 
case  of  war,  the  three  cities,  Fez,  Morocco,  and 
Mechinez,  lying  south  of  the  river.  In  these  three 
cities  he  sojourns  alternately.  There  is  also  the 
double  city  of  Sale-Rabatt,  through  which  he  passes 
in  going  from  Fez  to  Morocco.  He  takes  this  road 
in  order  not  to  have  to  cross  the  mountains  that 
shut  in  the  valley  of  the  Sebu  to  the  south,  their 
slopes  being  inhabited  by  the  Zairi,  a  mixed  Berber 
race,  who  have  the  reputation  of  being,  with  Beni- 
mitir,  the  most  turbulent  and  indomitable  of  the 
tribes  of  those  mountains. 

The  Sebu  reminded  me  of  the  Tiber  in  the  Roman 
Campagna.  At  the  point  were  we  struck  it,  it  is 
about  a  hundred  yards  in  width,  of  a  muddy  color, 
turbulent  and  rapid,  shut  in  between  two  high  arid 


1 50  MOROCCO. 

banks,  which  are  almost  vertical,  and  at  whose  feet 
extend  two  zones  of  miry  ground. 

Two  antediluvian  barks,  rowed  by  eight  or  ten 
Arabs,  approached  the  shore.  These  boats  alone, 
if  there  were  nothing  else,  would  suffice  to  show 
what  Morocco  is.  For  hundreds  of  years  sultans, 
pashas,  caravans,  and  embassies,  have  crossed  the 
river  on  such  hulks  as  these,  with  their  feet  in  mud 
and  water,  sometimes  in  danger  of  drowning  ;  and 
when  the  hulks — as  often  happens — are  full  of  holes, 
caravan  and  embassy,  sultan  and  pasha,  wait  on  the 
shore  while  the  boatmen  stop  the  holes  with  mud  or 
something  else,  sometimes  for  several  hours  in  rain 
or  scorching  sun  ;  and  for  hundreds  of  years  horses, 
mules,  and  camels,  for  want  of  a  piece  of  plank  a 
couple  of  yards  long,  run  the  risk  of  breaking  their 
legs,  and  do  break  them,  in  jumping  from  the  shore 
into  the  boats  ;  and  no  one  has  ever  conceived  the 
idea  of  constructing  a  bridge  of  boats,  and  no  one 
has  ever  thought  of  bringing  down  a  piece  of  plank 
two  yards  long  ;  and  if  any  one  reproves  them  for 
these  things,  they  look  at  him  with  an  air  of  stupe- 
faction as  if  he  had  suggested  a  prodigy. 

In  many  places  they  cross  the  rivers  upon  rafts 
made  of  cane,  and  their  armies  cross  on  floating 
bridges  made  of  skins  blown  up  with  air  and  cov- 
ered with  earth  and  branches. 

We  dismounted,  and  went  down  a  steep  pathway 
to  the  river,  when  we  Italians  crossed  in  the  first 
boat,  and  then  looked  on  from  the  opposite  shore  at 


KARIA-EL-ABBA SSL  I  5 1 

the  passage  of  the  caravan.  What  a  picture  it  was ! 
In  the  middle  of  the  river  came  a  great  boat  filled 
with  the  Moors  and  camels  of  a  caravan  of  merchan- 
dise, and  a  little  beyond, another  bringing  the  horses 
and  men  of  the  escort  from  Fez,  from  the  midst  of 
which  floated  the  banner  of  the  Prophet,  and  shone 
the  black  visage  and  snowy  turban  of  the  caid.  On 
the  opposite  shore,  in  the  midst  of  a  great  confusion 
of  horses,  mules,  servants,  and  baggage,  which  en- 
cumbered the  bank  for  a  long  distance,  appeared 
the  white  and  gracious  figure  of  the  governor  Ben- 
el- Abbassi,  seated  upon  a  rising  ground,  his  officers 
grouped  behind  him,  and  his  fine  horse  with  its  sky- 
blue  trappings  standing  near.  Upon  the  top  of  the 
bank,  which  rose  like  the  wall  of  a  fortress,  and  upon 
which  sat  a  long  row  of  country  Arabs  with  dang- 
ling legs,  were  ranged  the  two  hundred  horsemen  of 
the  governor,  who,  seen  thus  against  the  blue  back- 
ground of  the  sky,  looked  like  giants.  Some  black 
servants,  as  naked  as  they  were  born,  were  plunging 
and  re-plunging  into  the  river,  screaming  and  shout- 
ing. A  few  Arabs,  according  to  Moorish  custom, 
washed  their  rags,  bobbing  up  and  down  over  them 
like  so  many  puppets  ;  and  some  crossed  the  river 
swimming.  Above  our  heads  passed  flights  of 
storks  ;  far  away  on  the  shore  rose  the  smoke  from 
a  group  of  Bedouin  tents  ;  the  boatmen  chanted  in 
chorus  a  prayer  to  the  Prophet  for  the  good  result 
of  the  enterprise  ;  the  water  sent  up  golden  sparkles 
in  the  sun,  and  Selam,  standing  at  a  little  distance 


I$2  MOROCCO. 

in  his  famous  caftan,  made  in  the  midst  of  this  bar- 
baric and  festive  picture  the  most  harmonious  red 
point  that  could  be  imagined  by  a  painter. 

The  passage  occupied  several  hours,  and  as  each 
party  reached  the  shore,  it  resumed  its  march  with 
the  caravan. 

When  the  last  horse  had  crossed,  Governor  Ben- 
el- Abbassi  mounted  and  joined  his  soldiers  in  the 
heights  opposite.  The  ambassador  and  his  suite  all 
raised  their  hands  in  salute.  The  escort  of  Karia- 
el-Abbassi  answered  with  a  storm  of  musket-shots, 
and  vanished  ;  but  for  a  moment  or  two  the  fine 
white  figure  of  the  governor  was  visible  amid  the 
smoke,  with  his  arm  stretched  toward  us  in  token  of 
amity  and  farewell. 

Accompanied  only  by  our  Fez  escort,  we  now  en- 
tered upon  the  sadly  famous  territory  of  the  Beni- 
Hassan. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BENI-HASSAN. 

FOR  more  than  an  hour  we  travelled  through 
fields  of  barley,  from  which  showed  here  and 
there  a  black  tent,  the  head  of  a  camel,  or  a  cloud 
of  smoke.  In  the  paths  we  traversed,  scorpions, 
lizards,  and  snakes  were  numerous.  Our  saddles 
were  so  heated  by  the  sun  that  we  could  scarcely 
hold  our  hands  upon  them.  The  light  blinded  our 
eyes,  the  dust  choked  us,  and  every  thing  around 
was  still  as  death.  The  plain  which  stretched  before 
us  like  an  ocean  seemed  awful  to  me,  as  if  the  cara- 
van were  doomed  to  go  on  forever.  But  at  the 
same  time  my  curiosity  to  see  the  proud  Beni- Has- 
san, of  whom  I  had  heard  so  much,  kept  up  my 
drooping  spirits.  "  What  kind  of  people  are  they?" 
I  asked  of  the  interpreter.  "  Thieves  and  murder- 
ers," answered  he  ;  faces  from  the  other  world  ;  the 
worst  crew  in  Morocco."  And  I  scanned  the  hori- 
zon with  anxiety. 

The  faces  from  another  world  were  not  long  in 
coming.  We  saw  in  advance  a  great  cloud  of  dust, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  were  surrounded  by  a  throng 

153 


1 54  MOROCCO. 

of  three  hundred  mounted  savages,  in  green,  yellow, 
white,  violet,  and  scarlet,  ragged,  dishevelled,  and 
panting,  as  if  they  had  just  come  out  of  a  fray.  In 
the  midst  of  the  thick  dust  they  raised,  we  could  dis- 
cern their  governor,  a  long-haired,  black-bearded 
giant,  who,  followed  by  two  hoary  vice-governors, 
all  armed  with  muskets,  approached  the  ambassador, 
pressed  his  hand,  and  then  disappeared.  Immedi- 
ately the  usual  charging,  firing,  and  yelling  began. 
They  seemed  frantic.  They  fired  between  the  legs 
of  our  mules,  over  our  heads,  and  close  to  our 
shoulders.  Seen  from  a  distance  they  must  have 
looked  like  a  band  of  assassins  assailing  us.  There 
were  formidable  old  men,  with  long  white  beards, 
all  skin  and  bone,  but  looking  as  if  they  might  live 
for  centuries  ;  and  young  men  with  long  locks  of 
black  hair  flying  like  manes.  Many  had  their 
chests,  arms,  and  legs  bare,  turbans  in  tatters,  and 
red  rags  twisted  round  the  head  ;  caics  torn,  saddles 
broken,  bridles  made  of  cord,  old  sabres  and  pon- 
iards of  strange  forms.  And  such  faces  !  "  It  is 
absurd,"  said  the  commandant,  "  to  suppose  that 
these  people  will  be  capable  of  the  self-sacrifice  cl 
not  killing  us."  Every  one  of  those  faces  told  a 
story  of  blood.  They  looked  at  us,  as  they  passed, 
out  of  the  corner  of  their  eyes,  as  if  to  hide  the  ex- 
pression of  their  glance.  One  hundred  came  on  the 
right,  one  hundred  on  the  left,  one  hundred  behind 
us,  stretched  out  in  open  order.  This  guard  on  the 
flank  was  new  to  us  ;  but  we  were  not  long  in  per- 


BENI-HA  SSAN.  I  5  5 

ceiving  its  necessity.     As  we  advanced,  the   tents 
became  more  frequent  in  the  open  country,  so  that 
we  finally  passed  through   real  villages  surrounded 
by  cactus   and  aloe   hedges.     From  all  these  tents 
came  Arabs  running,  dressed  in  a  single  garment  or 
shirt,    in    groups,    on    foot,    on    horseback,    on    the 
cruppers  of  donkeys — two,  and  sometimes  three  on 
the   same   animal ;    women   with   children   hung  to 
their   shoulders,    old    men    supported   by   boys,  all 
breathless,  wild  to  see  us,  and  perhaps  not  to  see  us 
only.     Gradually  a   veritable   people   had  gathered 
about  us.     Then  the  soldiers  of  the  escort  began  to 
disperse    them.     They    darted    among    them    at   a 
gallop,    here    and   there    and    everywhere,    yelling, 
striking,  overturning  beast  and  rider,  and  raising  a 
tempest   of  cries    and    curses.     But    the    scattered 
groups  formed   again,  and  continued  to  accompany 
us    at   a    run.     Through    the    smoke    and   powder, 
broken  by  the   lightning  of  the  shots,  we  saw  over 
those    vast    fields,    in    the    distance,    tents,    horses, 
camels,  droves  of  cattle,  groups  of  aloes,  columns  of 
smoke,  crowds  of  people  turned  toward  us,  motion- 
less, in  an  attitude   of  amazement.     We  had  at  last 
reached  an   inhabited  land !     It  did  exist  then,  and 
was  not  a  fable,  this  blessed  population  of  Morocco! 
After  an  hour's  rapid  riding  we  were  again  in  the 
solitude  of  the  country,  with  no  one  save  our  escort, 
and    soon    came    to  our  camp,  which  was   pitched 
upon  the   bank  of  the  Sebti,  a  thick  chain  of  senti- 
nels, on   foot  and   armed  with  muskets,  being  ex- 


1 56  MOROCCO. 

tended  all  around  the  encampment.  The  country 
then  was  really  dangerous !  If  I  had  been  able  to 
doubt  it,  I  should  have  been  more  than  persuaded 
by  what  I  afterward  heard. 

The  Beni-Hassi  are  the  most  turbulent,  the  most 
audacious,  the  most  quarrelsome,  and  the  most 
thievish  tribe  in  all  the  valley  of  the  Sebu.  Their 
last  performance  was  a  sanguinary  revolt  which 
broke  out  in  the  summer  of  1873  (when  the  reigning 
Sultan  came  to  the  throne),  which  began  with  the 
sack  of  the  governor's  house,  and  the  carrying  off 
of  his  women.  Theft  is  their  principal  profession. 
They  gather  together  in  bands,  armed  and  mounted, 
and  make  raids  beyond  the  Sebii,  or  in  other  neigh- 
boring lands,  stealing  all  that  they  can  drag  or  carry 
off,  and  killing,  by  way  of  precaution,  all  persons 
whom  they  encounter.  They  have  their  chiefs, 
their  statutes,  discipline,  and  rights  recognized,  in  a 
certain  sense,  even  by  the  government,  which  some- 
times makes  use  of  them  to  get  back  stolen  prop- 
erty. They  rob  in  the  way  of  forced  imposts.  The 
people  who  are  despoiled  by  them,  instead  of  losing 
their  time  in  seeking  their  property,  protect  what  is 
left  to  them  by  paying  a  certain  stipulated  sum  to 
the  chief  of  the  robbers.  As  for  the  boys  especially. 
it  is  admitted  as  a  most  natural  thing  that  they 
should  all  steal.  If  they  get  a  ball  in  the  back,  or  a 
skull  fractured  by  a  stone,  so  much  the  worse  for 
them  ;  no  one  will  be  robbed  if  he  can  help  it ;  and 
there  is  no  rose  without  its  thorn.  Their  fathers  say 


BEN  I- HA  SSA  N.  I  5  7 

ingenuously — a  boy  of  eight  years  old  makes  little, 
one  of  twelve  much  more,  one  of  sixteen  a  great 
deal.  Every  thief  has  his  own  peculiar  branch  of 
the  profession  :  there  is  the  corn  thief,  the  cattle 
thief,  the  horse  thief,  the  merchandise  thief,  the  thief 
of  the  duar  (or  Arab  encampment),  the  street  thief. 
In  the  streets  they  assault  particularly  the  Jews,  who 
are  forbidden  to  carry  arms.  But  the  commonest 
kind  of  larceny  is  that  at  the  expense  of  the  duar. 
In  this  they  are  incomparable  artists,  not  only 
among  the  Beni-Hassan,  but  all  over  Morocco.  In 
stealing  on  horseback  the  great  art  consists  in  the 
lightning-like  rapidity  with  which  they  act  ;  they 
pass,  seize,  and  disappear  before  any  one  can  recog- 
nize them.  They  rob  also  on  foot,  and  in  a  masterly 
manner.  They  creep  into  the  duar  naked,  because 
dogs  will  not  bark  at  a  naked  man  ;  they  soap  them- 
selves all  over  so  as  to  be  able  to  slip  out  of  the 
hands  of  any  one  who  might  seize  them  ;  and  carry 
a  branch  in  their  arms,  so  that  horses,  taking  them 
for  bushes,  may  not  be  frightened.  Horses  are  the 
most  coveted  prey.  They  seize  them  round  the 
neck,  stretch  their  legs  under  the  belly,  and  away 
like  an  arrow.  Their  audacity  is  incredible.  There 
is  no  encampment  of  a  caravan,  be  it  that  of  a  pasha 
or  ambassador,  where  they  will  not  penetrate  in 
spite  of  the  strictest  watch.  They  glide  upon  the 
ground  like  snakes,  covered  with  grass,  with  straw, 
with  leaves,  dressed  in  sheepskin,  disguised  as 
beggars,  as  madmen,  as  saints,  as  soldiers.  They 


158  MOROCCO. 

will  risk  their  lives  for  a  chicken,  and  go  ten  miles 
for  a  dollar.  They  will  even  steal  a  bag  of  money 
from  under  the  head  of  a  sleeping  man.  And  that 
very  night,  in  spite  of  the  chain  of  sentinels,  they 
stole  a  sheep  that  was  tied  to  the  cook's  bed,  who, 
when  he  discovered  his  loss  the  next  morning, 
stood  half  an  hour  motionless,  with  folded  arms, 
before  the  door  of  his  tent,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
horizon,  exclaiming  ever  and  anon  :  "  Ah  !  holy 
Madonna!  what  a  country! — what  a  country!— 
what  a  country  !  " 

I  have  spoken  of  the  duar :  Morocco  cannot  be 
understood  without  a  description  of  them,  and  with 
what  I  saw,  and  what  Signer  Morteo,  who  has  lived 
twenty  years  among  them,  told  me,  I  can  venture 
to  describe  them. 

The  duar  is  in  general  made  up  of  ten,  fifteen,  or 
twenty  families,  who  are  related  to  each  other,  and 
each  family  has  a  tent.  The  tents  are  disposed  in 
two  parallel  rows,  distant  from  each  other  about 
thirty  paces,  forming  thus  a  sort  of  square  open  at 
both  ends.  The  tents  are  almost  all  of  equal  size, 
and  consist  of  one  great  piece  of  black  or  chocolate- 
brown  stuff,  woven  of  the  fibre  of  the  dwarf  palm, 
and  of  camels'  and  goats'  hair,  which  is  sustained 
by  two  poles  or  thick  canes  upholding  a  cross-piece 
of  wood.  Their  shape  is  still  that  of  the  habitations 
of  Jugurtha's  Numidians,  which  Sallust  compares  to 
a  boat  with  its  keel  in  the  air.  In  the  winter  and 
autumn  the  cloth  is  stretched  to  the  ground  and 


BENI-HASSAN.  159 

securely  fastened  by  cords  and  pegs,  so  that  wind 
and  water  cannot  enter.  In  summer,  a  large  aper- 
ture is  left  all  round  for  the  circulation  of  air,  pro- 
tected by  a  little  hedge  of  reeds,  canes,  and  dried 
brambles.  By  these  means  the  tents  are  cooler  in 
summer,  and  better  closed  against  the  rain  and 
wind  than  even  the  Moorish  houses  in  the  cities, 
which  have  neither  doors  nor  windows.  The 
greatest  height  of  a  tent  is  two  metres  and  a  half, 
the  greatest  length  ten  metres  ;  those  that  exceed 
these  measurements  belong  to  some  opulent  sheik, 
and  are  rare.  A  reed  partition  divides  the  tent  into 
two  parts,  in  one  of  which  the  father  and  mother 
sleep,  while  the  other  is  occupied  by  the  children 
and  the  rest  of  the  family. 

One  or  two  straw  mats  ;  a  gaily  painted  and 
arabesqued  wooden  chest  for  clothes  ;  a  little  round 
mirror  from  Trieste  or  Venice  ;  a  high  tripod  made 
of  cane,  which  is  covered  with  a  caic,  under  which 
they  wash  themselves  ;  two  large  stones  for  grind- 
ing grain  ;  a  weaver's  loom,  such  as  was  in  use  in 
Abraham's  time  ;  a  rusty  tin  lamp,  a  few  earthen 
jars,  a  goat-skin  or  two,  a  plate  or  two,  a  distaff,  a 
saddle,  a  musket,  a  poniard,  comprise  the  furniture 
of  such  a  tent.  In  a  corner  there  is  generally  a  hen 
with  her  brood  of  chickens  ;  in  front  of  the  tent 
door,  an  oven  composed  of  two  bricks  ;  on  one  side 
a  little  kitchen  garden  beyond,  two  or  three  round 
pits  lined  with  stones  and  cement,  in  which  they 
keep  their  corn. 


1 60  MOROCCO. 

In  almost  all  the  great  duars  there  is  a  tent  ap- 
propriated to  the  school -master,  who  receives  from 
the  community  five  francs  a  month  and  his  food. 
All  the  little  boys  are  sent  to  him  to  recite  a  hun- 
dred thousand  times  the  same  verses  from  the 
Koran,  and  to  write  them,  when  they  know  them 
by  heart,  upon  a  wooden  tablet.  The  greater  part 
of  them  leave  school  before  they  know  how  to  read, 
to  go  and  work  for  their  parents,  forgetting  in  a 
short  time  the  little  they  have  learned.  The  few 
who  have  the  will  and  power  to  study,  continue 
until  twenty  years  of  age,  after  which  they  go  to 
some  city  to  complete  their  studies,  and  become 
taleb,  which  signifies  notary  or  scrivener,  and  is 
equivalent  to  being  a  priest,  because  among  the 
Mahometans  the  civil  and  religious  law  is  identical. 
Life  in  the  duar  is  of  the  utmost  simplicity.  Every- 
body rises  at  dawn  ;  they  say  their  prayers,  feed  the 
cows,  make  the  butter,  and  drink  the  buttermilk 
that  remains.  For  drinking  vessels  they  make  use 
of  shells  and  patelle  which  they  buy  from  the  people 
of  the  coast.  Then  the  men  go  to  labor  in  the 
fields  and  do  not  return  until  evening.  The  women 
fetch  wood  and  water,  grind  the  corn,  weave  the 
coarse  stuffs  of  their  own  and  their  husbands'  dress, 
twist  cords  for  the  tents  out  of  the  fibre  of  the  dwarf 
palm,  send  food  to  their  husbands,  and  prepare  the 
cuscussu  for  the  evening  meal.  The  cuscussd  is  a 
mixture  of  beans,  squash,  onions,  and  other  green 
stuff;  sometimes  it  is  sweetened,  peppered,  and 


BENI-HASSAN.  l6l 

flavored  with  the  juice  of  meat ;  on  feast  days  it  is 
eaten  with  meat.  When  the  men  come  home  there 
is  supper,  and  in  general  bed  at  sundown.  Some- 
times after  supper  an  old  man  will  tell  a  story  in  the 
midst  of  a  circle  of  listeners.  During  the  night  the 
duar  remains  immersed  in  silence  and  darkness  ; 
here  and  there  a  family  will  keep  a  small  lamp  burn- 
ing before  the  tent  to  serve  as  a  "guide  to  wander- 
ing travellers.  The  dress  of  the  men  and  women 
consists  of  a  cotton  shirt,  a  mantle,  and  a  coarse 
caic.  The  mantles  and  caics  are  only  washed  two 
or  three  times  a  year,  on  the  occasion  of  solemn 
festivals,  and  in  consequence  they  are  generally  of 
same  color  as  the  wearer's  skin  and  often 
blacker.  The  cleanliness  of  the  body  is  better  cared 
for,  since  without  the  ablutions  prescribed  by  the 
Koran,  no  one  can  pray.  The  women  for  the  most 
part  wash  all  over  every  morning,  hiding  themselves 
under  the  tripod  covered  by  a  caic.  But  working 
as  they  do,  and  sleeping  as  they  sleep,  they  are 
always  dirty  more  or  less,  even  although,  for  a 
wonder,  they  make  use  of  soap.  In  their  leisure 
hours  many  play  at  cards,  and  when  not  playing, 
one  great  amusement  of  the  men  is  to  lie  on  the 
ground  and  play  with  their  children  ;  for  whom, 
however,  they  care  less  when  they  get  older.  Many 
of  these  children  of  the  duar  arrive  at  the  age  of  ten 
or  fourteen  years  without  ever  having  seen  a  house, 
and  it  is  curious  to  hear  an  account  of  their  behavior 
when  taken  into  the  service  of  Moors  or  Euro- 


1 62  MOROCCO. 

peans  in  the  cities  ;  how  they  feel  the  walls,  stamp 
on  the  floors,  and  with  what  intense  emotion  they 
look  out  of  a  window,  or  run  down  a  staircase. 
The  principal  event  in  these  wandering  villages  is  a 
marriage.  The  parents  and  friends  of  the  bride, 
with  a  great  noise  of  firing  of  muskets  and  shouting, 
bring  her  seated  on  a  camel  to  the  husband's  duar. 
She  is  wrapped  in  a  white  or  blue  mantle,  perfumed, 
with  her  nails  tinted  with  henna  and  her  eyebrows 
blackened  with  burnt  cork,  and  is  generally  fattened 
for  the  occasion  by  the  use  of  an  herb  called  ebba, 
much  in  vogue  among  young  girls.  The  husband's 
duar  meantime  has  invited  the  neighboring  duars 
to  the  festival,  and  from  a  hundred  to  two  hundred 
men,  mounted  and  armed,  respond  to  the  invitation. 
The  bride  dismounts  from  her  camel  before  the  door 
of  her  husband's  tent,  and  seated  on  a  seat  deco- 
rated with  flowers  and  fringes,  looks  on  at  the  festi- 
val ;  whilst  the  men  go  through  fat  powder  play  ^  the 
women  and  girls,  disposed  in  a  circle  before  her, 
dance  to  the  music  of  a  fife  and  drum,  around  a 
cloth  spread  upon  the  ground,  into  which  every 
guest  in  passing  throws  a  coin  for  the  newly  married 
pair,  and  a  sort  of  crier  announces  the  amount  of 
the  offering  in  a  loud  voice,  with  good  wishes  for 
the  donor.  Toward  evening,  the  dancing  and  firing 
over,  every  one  sits  down  on  the  ground,  and  great 
dishes  of  cuscussu,  roast  chickens,  sheep  on  the  spit, 
tea,  sweatmeats,  and  fruits  are  carried  round ;  the 
supper  being  prolonged  up  to  midnight.  The  next 


BENI-HASSAN.  163 

day,  the  bride,  dressed  in  white,  with  a  red  scarf 
bound  over  her  mouth  and  a  hood  upon  her  head, 
goes,  accompanied  by  her  friends  and  relations,  to 
the  neighboring  duars  to  collect  more  money.  This 
done,  the  husband  goes  back  to  his  labor,  the  wife 
to  hers,  and  love  takes  to  flight.  When  any  one 
dies,  the  dances  are  repeated.  The  relations  nearest 
to  the  defunct  record  his  virtues ;  the  rest,  crowd 
about  him,  dance  with  gestures  and  attitudes  of 
grief,  cover  themselves  with  dust,  tear  their  hair, 
and  scratch  their  faces.  After  which  they  wash  the 
corpse,  wrap  it  in  a  piece  of  new  cloth,  carry  it  on  a 
bier  to  the  cemetery,  and  bury  it,  lying  on  the  right 
side,  with  its  face  turned  to  the  east,  These  are 
their  customs  and  usages,  as  one  may  say,  patent  to 
all  the  world  ;  but  who  knows  their  more  private 
doings  ?  Who  can  follow  the  clue  by  which  life  in 
a  duar  is  ordered  ?  Who  can  say  how  first  love, 
speaks,  how  slander  is  disseminated,  in  what  strange 
forms,  by  what  strange  accidents,  adultery,  jealousy, 
envy  are  produced  ;  what  virtues  shine,  what  sacri- 
fices are  consummated,  what  abominable  and  per- 
verted passions  are  rife  under  the  shadow  of  those 
tents  ?  Who  can  trace  the  origin  of  their  mon- 
strous superstitions  ?  Who  can  clear  up  the  odd 
mingling  of  Pagan  and  Christian  traditions  in  their 
religious  rites  :  the  sign  of  the  cross  made  on  the 
skin,  the  vague  belief  in  satyrs  where  forked  elm 
trees  are  found,  the  image  carried  in  triumph  at  the 
budding  of  the  grain,  the  name  of  Mary  invoked  for 


1 64  MOROCCO. 

the  help  of  women  in  childbirth,  the  circular  dances 
resembling  those  of  the  worshippers  of  the  sun  ? 
One  thing  only  is  certain  and  manifest :  their  pov- 
erty. They  live  on  the  scant  produce  of  ill-culti- 
vated ground,  borne  down  by  heavy  and  often 
changing  taxes,  collected  by  the  sheik  or  head  of 
the  duar,  elected  by  themselves,  but  directly  under 
the  orders  of  the  governor  of  the  province.  They 
pay  the  governor,  in  money  or  produce,  the  tenth 
part  of  the  harvest,  and  one  franc  a  head  for  cattle. 
One  hundred  francs  a  year  is  paid  for  every  tract  of 
land  corresponding  to  the  labor  of  a  yoke  of  oxen. 
The  Sultan,  at  the  principal  festivals  of  the  year. 
exacts  a  "  present "  equivalent  to  five  francs  per 
tent.  They  pay  money  or  furnish  provisions  at  the 
order  of  the  governors  whenever  the  Sultan,  or  a 
pasha,  or  an  ambassador,  or  a  body  of  soldiers 
passes  by. 

Besides  this,  any  one  who  has  money  is  exposed 
to  the  extortions  of  the  governor,  veiled  or  excused 
by  no  pretext  whatever,  but  practised  with  insolence 
and  violence.  To  be  esteemed  rich  is  a  misfortune. 
Whoever  has  a  small  sum  laid  by,  buries  it,  spends 
in  secret,  feigns  poverty  and  hunger.  No  one 
accepts  a  blackened  coin  in  payment,  even  when  he 
knows  it  to  be  good,  because  it  may  look  as  if  it  had 
been  buried  in  the  ground,  and  cause  the  suspicion 
of  hidden  treasure.  When  a  rich  man  dies,  the 
heirs,  in  order  to  avoid  ruin,  offer  a  present  to  the 
governor.  Presents  are  offered  to  secure  justice,  to 


BENI-HASSAN.  165 

prevent  persecution,  to  avoid  being  reduced  to  die 
of  hunger.  And  when  at  last  hunger  has  them  by 
the  throat  and  despair  blinds  them,  they  strike  their 
tents,  seize  their  muskets,  and  raise  the  signal  of  re- 
volt. What  happens  then  ?  The  Sultan  unchains 
three  thousand  mounted  fiends  and  sows  death 
throughout  the  rebellious  district.  His  soldiers  cut 
off  heads,  lift  cattle,  carry  off  women,  burn  grain 
fields,  reduce  the  land  to  a  desert  and  strew  it  with 
ashes  slaked  in  blood,  and  then  return  to  announce 
the  extinction  of  the  rebellion.  If  the  rebellion  ex- 
tends, and  the  armies  and  arts  of  the  government 
are  vain,  what  advantage  do  the  rebels  gain  beyond 
a  few  short  days  of  warlike  liberty,  bought  by  thou- 
sands of  lives  ?  They  can  elect  another  Sultan,  and 
provoke  a  dynastic  war  between  province  and  prov- 
ince, behind  which  lurks  a  worse  despotism  than 
before  ;  and  so  it  goes  on  from  century  to  century. 

On  the  morning  of  the  tenth  the  caravan  resumed 
its  march,  escorted  by  the  three  hundred  of  Beni- 
Hassan  and  their  chief  Abd- Allah — servant  of  God. 

All  that  morning  we  travelled  over  a  plain  covered 
with  fields  of  barley,  wheat,  and  buck-wheat,  inter- 
spersed with  large  tracts  of  wild  fennel  and  flowers, 
and  dotted  with  groups  of  trees  and  black  tents, 
which  last  resembled  in  the  distance  those  heaps  of 
charcoal  that  are  seen  on  the  Tuscan  maremma.  We 
met  more  cattle,  horses,  camels,  c:nd  Arabs  than  on 
the  preceding  days.  Far  away  In  front  extended  a 
mountain  chain  of  a  most  delicate  gray  tint,  and  in 


166  MOROCCO. 

the  middle  distance  glimmered  two  white  cube — the 
first  illuminated  by  the  sun,  the  second  hardly  visible. 
They  were  the  tombs  of  the  saints  Sidi-Ghedar  and 
Sidi-Hassem,  between  which  lie  the  confines  of  the 
land  of  Beni- Hassan.  Our  camp  was  to  be  pitched 
near  the  latter. 

Some  time,  however,  before  arriving  at  that  point, 
Governor  Sidi-Abd- Allah,  who  from  the  moment  of 
our  departure  had  seemed  anxious  and  thoughtful, 
drew  near  to  the  ambassador,  and  signified  his  wish 
to  speak.  Mohammed  Ducali  came  up  quickly. 
"  The  ambassador  from  Italy  will  pardon  me,"  said 
the  haughty  chief,  "if  I  venture  to  ask  permission 
to  turn  back  with  my  men." 

The  ambassador  demanded  why. 

"  Because,"  answered  Sidi-Abd- Allah,  contracting 
his  black  brows,  "  my  own  house  is  not  secure." 

Is  that  all  ?  thought  we.  Only  two  miles  away 
too  !  What  an  agreeable  existence  must  be  that  of 
a  governor  of  Beni-Hassan  ! 

The  ambassador  consented  ;  the  chief  took  his 
hand,  and  pressed  it  to  his  breast  with  an  energetic 
expression  of  gratitude.  This  done,  he  turned  his 
horse,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  many-colored,  rag- 
ged, and  terrible  crew  was  nothing  but  a  cloud  of 
dust  upon  the  horizon. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SIDI-HASSEM. 

THE  province  we  were  about  to  enter  was  a 
kind  of  colony  divided  into  farms  among  a 
large  number  of  soldiers'  families,  in  each  of  which 
military  service  is  obligatory  for  all  the  sons  ;  thus, 
every  boy  is  born  a  soldier,  serves,  as  he  can,  from 
his  very  infancy,  and  receives  a  fixed  pay  before  he 
is  able  to  handle  a  musket.  These  military  families 
are  also  exempt  from  taxes,  and  their  property  is  in- 
alienable as  long  as  male  descendants  exist.  They 
thus  constitute  a  regular  militia,  disciplined  and 
faithful,  by  means  of  which  the  government  can  de- 
vour, according  to  the  popular  expression,  any  rebell- 
ious province,  without  fear  that  the  tool  will  fly  off 
the  handle.  They  may  be  called  a  militia  of  col- 
lectors of  revenue,  paying  the  government  more 
than  they  cost,  for  in  Morocco  the  army  is  a  servant 
of  the  finances,  and  the  principal  tool  of  the  admin- 
istrative machine  is  the  sword. 

We  had  scarcely  passed  the  boundaries  of  Beni- 
Hassan  when  we  saw  in  the  distance  a  troop  of 
horsemen  galloping  toward  us,  preceded  by  a  great 

167 


168  MOROCCO. 

banner.  Contrary  to  custom,  they  were  spread  rut 
in  two  long  lines,  one  behind  the  other,  with  their 
officers  in  front. 

At  about  twenty  paces  off  they  stopped  abruptly. 
Their  commandant,  a  big  old  man  with  a  white 
beard,  a  benevolent  aspect,  and  a  lofty  turban,  came 
forward  and  took  the  Ambassador's  hand,  saying, 
"  You  are  welcome  !  you  are  welcome  !"  And  then 
to  us,  "  Welcome  !  welcome  !  welcome !  " 

We  resumed  our  march.  The  new  horsemen 
were  very  different  from  the  Beni- Hassan.  They 
had  clean  garments  and  shining  arms  ;  almost  all 
wore  yellow  boots  embroidered  with  red  ;  their 
sabres  had  handles  of  rhinoceros  hide,  their  mantles 
were  blue,  their  caftans  white,  with  green  girdles. 
Many  of  them  were  old — those  petrified  old  men 
for  whom  eternity  seems  to  have  begun ;  some 
were  very  young — two  in  particular  not  more  than 
ten  years  old,  handsome  and  full  of  life,  looking  at 
us  with  a  smiling  air,  as  though  they  were  thinking, 
"  Come,  you  are  not  such  scarecrows  as  we  had  ex- 
pected to  see."  There  was  one  black  old  man  of 
such  tall  stature  that  if  he  had  taken  his  feet  out  of 
the  stirrups  they  would  have  touched  the  ground. 
One  of  the  officers  wore  stockings. 

In  about  half  an  hour  we  met  another  company 
with  a  red  banner,  commanded  by  an  old  caid,  who 
joined  themselves  to  the  first;  and  from  time  to  time 
other  groups  of  four,  eight,  fifteen  horsemen,  each 
with  its  banner,  who  came  to  swell  our  escort. 


SIDI-HASSEM.  iCg 

When  all  had  arrived,  the  usual  firing  and  charging 
went  on. 

It  was  evident-  that  they  were  regular  soldiers  ; 
they  manoeuvred  with  more  regularity  and  order 
than  any  we  had  seen.  They  had  a  new  play.  One 
would  dart  forward  at  full  speed,  another  behind 
him,  ventre  a  terre.  Suddenly  the  first  would  rise  in 
his  stirrups,  turn  and  fire  right  into  the  chest  of  his 
pursuer,  who  at  the  same  instant  discharged  his 
musket  into  the  first  one's  side  ;  so  that  had  they 
been  firing  with  ball  both  would  have  fallen  dead  at 
the  same  moment.  The  horse  of  one  who  was  fly- 
ing in  full  career  fell,  and  threw  his  rider  to  such  a 
distance  that  we  thought  he  must  be  killed.  But  in 
a  moment  he  was  up  and  in  the  saddle,  and  rushing 
about  with  more  fury  than  ever.  Each  one  had  his 
cry.  -"Take  care! — take  care  !  Bear  witness  all! 
It  is  I !  Here  comes  death!  Place  for  the  barber!" 
(he  was  the  soldiers'  barber).  And  one  shouted,  to 
the  manifest  amusement  of  his  companions,  "  Alia 
mia  depinta  !  "  The  interpreters  explained  that  he 
meant,  "  To  my  lady,  who  is  as  beautiful  as  a  pict- 
ure," odd  enough  for  one  of  a  people  who  have  por- 
traiture in  horror,  and  who  cannot  even  have  a  clear 
idea  of  it.  The  two  little  lads  fired  and  shouted  to- 
gether, "  Place  for  the  brothers  ! "  pointing  their 
muskets  downward,  and  bending  to  the  saddle-bow. 

In  this  manner  we  arrived  near  the  cuba  of  Sidi- 
Hassem,  where  our  camp  was  to  be  pitched. 

Poor  Hamed  Ben-Kasen  Buhammei !     Until  now 


1 7O  MOKOCCO. 

I  have  but  glanced  at  him  ;  but  remembering  how  I 
saw  him  that  morning,  he,  general  of  the  armies  of 
the  Scherif,  helping  to  plant  the  supports  of  the 
Ambassador's  tent,  I  feel  the  need  of  expressing  my 
admiration  and  gratitude  toward  him.  What  a  good 
fellow  of  a  general !  From  the  moment  of  our  de- 
parture he  had  not  bastinadoed  soldier  or  servant  ; 
had  never  shown  ill  temper  ;  always  the  first  to  rise, 
and  the  last  to  go  to  bed ;  never  had  allowed  to 
transpire,  even  to  the  most  prying  eye,  that  his  sti- 
pend of  forty  francs  a  month  might  seem  a  trifle 
scanty ;  had  not  a  particle  of  self-conceit ;  helped  us 
to  mount,  saw  that  our  saddles  were  secure,  gave  a 
passing  blow  with  his  stick  to  our  restive  mules  ;  was 
always  ready  for  every  thing  and  everybody  ;  rested, 
crouched  like  a  humble  mule-driver  near  our  tents  ; 
smiled  when  we  smiled  ;  offered  us  cuscussu  ;  sprang 
to  his  feet  at  a  sign  from  the  Ambassador,  like  a 
puppet  on 'wires;  prayed,  like  a  good  Mussulman, 
five  times  a  day ;  counted  the  eggs  of  the  muna, 
presided  at  the  killing  of  sheep,  looked  over  the  art- 
ists' sketch-books  without  blenching  ;  was,  in  short, 
the  man  of  all  others  whom  his  Imperial  Majesty  should 
have  chosen  for  that  mission  among  all  the  crew  of 
barefooted  generals.  Hamed  Ben-Kasen  often  re- 
lated with  pride  that  his  father  had  been  a  general  in 
the  war  with  Spain,  and  sometimes  spoke  of  his  sons 
who  were  with  their  mother  at  Mechinez,  his  native 
city.  "  It  is  three  months,"  he  would  say,  with  a 
sigh,  "  since  I  have  seen  them." 


S1DI-HASSEM.  171 

That  day,  after  having  witnessed  the  presentation 
of  the  muna,  when  there  was  a  monstrous  dish  of 
ciiscnssu  that  took  five  men  to  carry  it,  we  took 
refuge,  as  usual,  in  our  tents,  to  endure,  also  as 
usual,  the  forty  degrees  centigrade  which  lasted  from 
noon  until  four  o'clock,  during  which  time  the  camp 
was  immersed  in  profound  silence.  At  four  life  woke 
again.  The  artists  took  their  brushes,  the  doctor 
received  the  sick,  one  went  to  bathe,  another  to  fire 
at  a  mark,  another  to  hunt,  another  to  walk,  another 
to  visit  a  friend  in  his  tent,  to  see  the  escort  charge, 
to  visit  the  cook  in  his  struggle  with  Africa,  to  go  to 
the  nearest  dnar,  and  thus,  every  one  at  dinner-time 
had  something  to  tell,  and  conversation  burst  forth 
like  a  firework. 

At  sunset  I  went  with  the  commandant  to  see  the 
escort  at  their  usual  exercises,  in  a  vast  field  near 
the  camp.  There  we  found  about  a  hundred  Arabs 
sitting  in  a  row  along  the  edge  of  a  ditch  looking 
on.  As  soon  as  they  discovered  us  they  rose  and 
came  in  groups  to  follow  us.  We  pretended  not  to 
see  them.  For  a  few  minutes  not  one  of  them 
spoke  ;  then  one  said  something  that  set  the  others 
laughing.  Then  another,  and  a  third  spoke,  and 
everybody  laughed  as  before.  They  were  evidently 
laughing  at  us,  and  we  were  not  long  in  discovering 
that  their  laughter  corresponded  with  our  move- 
ments and  the  inflections  of  our  voices.  It  was  the 
most  natural  thing  in  the  world  ;  to  them  we  were 
ridiculous.  We  were  curious  to  know  what  they 


1 72  MOROCCO. 

were  saying,  and  as  one  of  the  interpreters  was  pass- 
ing, made  a  secret  sign  Tor  him  to  come  and  trans- 
late, which  he  did. 

Presently  one  made  an  observation  which  was  re- 
ceived with  a  burst  of  laughter.  "  He  says,"  said 
Morteo,  "  that  he  does  not  know  what  the  skirts  of 
your  coats  are  for,  unless  to  hide  your  tails."  Again, 
"  He  says  that  the  parting  up  the  back  of  your  head 
is  the  road  where  certain  insects  make  the  lab-el- 
baroda"  A  third  speech,  and  a  third  shout  of  laugh- 
ter. "He  says  that  these  Christians  are  strange 
creatures  ;  that  in  their  ambition  to  seem  tall  they 
put  vases  on  their  heads  and  two  props  under  their 
heels." 

At  this  point  a  dog  from  the  camp  came  and  lay 
down  at  our  feet.  There  was  a  remark  and  a  loud 
yell  of  laughter  "  This  is  rather  too  much  !  "  said 
Morteo ;  "  he  says  that  a  dog  has  come  to  lie  down 
with  the  other  dogs.  I  will  teach  them  —  As 

he  spoke,  he  turned  abruptly  to  the  Arabs  and  said 
something  in  a  tone  of  menace.  It  was  like  a  flash 
of  lightning.  In  one  instant  they  had  all  vanished. 

Poor  fellows,  let  us  be  just !  they  were  not  so  far 
wrong  after  all !  Ten  times  a  day,  while  they  skir- 
mished about  us  on  their  superb  horses,  we  remarked 
to  each  other  :  "  Yes,  we  are  civilized,  we  are  the 
representatives  of  a  great  nation,  we  have  more 
science  in  our  heads,  we  ten  men,  than  exists  in  the 
whole  empire  of  the  Scherifs  ;  but  planted  on  our 
mules,  dressed  in  these  clothes,  with  these  hats,  in 


SID  I- HA  SSEM.  1 7  3 

these  colors,  among  them,  goodness  knows,  we  are 
hideous  !  "  And  it  was  true.  The  least  among  those 
ragged  figures  on  horseback  was  more  noble,  more 
dignified,  handsomer,  more  worthy  of  a  lady's  glance, 
than  all  the  dandies  of  Europe  in  a  bunch. 

At  table  that  evening  there  was  another  curious 
little  scene.  The  two  oldest  of  the  caids  of  the 
escort  came  in  and  sat  down,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  Ambassador.  He  asked  them  whether  they  had 
ever  heard  of  Italy.  Both  together,  eagerly  making 
the  sign  of  "  no  "  with  the  hand,  replied,  in  the  tone 
of  those  who  wish  to  dissipate  a  suspicion,  "  Never! 
never !  "  The  Ambassador,  with  the  patience  of  a 
master,  gave  them  some  geographical  and  political 
information  respecting  our  mysterious  country. 
They  listened  with  wide-open  eyes  and  gaping 
mouths,  like  children. 

"  And  how  many  people  live  in  your  country  ?  " 
one  asked. 

"  Twenty-five  millions,"  answered  the  Ambassa- 
dor. 

They  gave  a  sign  of  astonishment.  "  And  Mo- 
rocco," asked  the  other,  "  how  many  millions  has 
it?" 

"  Four,"  replied  the  Ambassador,  feeling  his 
ground. 

"  Only  four !  "  they  exclaimed  ingenuously,  look- 
ing at  each  other.  Evidently  these  two  brave  gen- 
erals knew  no  more  about  Morocco  than  they  did 
about  Italy  ;  and  perhaps  as  little  about  their  own 
province  in  Morocco. 


1/4  MOROCCO. 

Signer  Morteo  showed  them  a  photograph  of  his 
wife,  saying,  "  Allow  me  to  present  my  wife." 

They  looked  and  looked  at  it  with  much  compla- 
cency, and  then  asked  in  one  voice,  "  And  the 
others  ?  "  Either  they  did  not  know,  or  had  forgot- 
ten, that  we  unhappy  Christians  are  limited  to  one. 

That  night  there  was  no  possibility  of  sleep.  The 
hens  clucked,  the  dogs  barked,  the  sheep  bleated, 
the  horses  neighed,  the  sentinels  sang,  the  water- 
sellers  tinkled  their  bells,  the  soldiers  quarrelled  over 
the  muna,  the  servants  tumbled  over  the  tent  cords  ; 
the  camp  was  like  a  market-place.  But  we  had  only 
four  more  days  to  travel,  and — a  magic  word  of  con- 
uolation — Fez ! 


TI1K    CAMKL   CONVEYANCE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ZEGUTA. 

WE  started  for  Zeguta  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
morning,  cheered  by  the  thought  that  that 
day  we  should  see  the  mountains  of  Fez.  A  light 
autumnal  breeze  was  blowing,  and  a  slight  mist  veiled 
the  prospect.  A  throng  of  Arabs  muffled  in  their 
mantles  looked  on  as  we  left  the  camp  ;  the  soldiers 
of  the  escort  kept  together  in  a  compact  body  ;  the 
children  of  the  duar  watched  us  with  sleepy  eyes 
over  the  hedges  and  from  the  tents.  But  soon  the 
sun  shone  out,  the  horsemen  scattered,  the  air  re- 
sounded with  shots  and  yells,  every  thing  became 
full  of  color,  light,  and  animation,  and  immediately, 
as  happens  in  that  country,  to  the  chill  of  autumn 
succeeded  the  ardent  heat  of  summer. 

Among  my  notes  of  that  morning  I  find  one  which 
says,  laconically,  "  Locusts."  I  remember  to  have 
noticed  a  distant  field  which  appeared  to  be  moving, 
and  perceived  that  the  appearance  was  produced  by 
a  vast  number  of  green  grasshoppers  which  were 
advancing  toward  us  in  great  jumps.  Selim,  who 
was  riding  at  my  side,  gave  me  an  admirably  pict- 

175 


1 76  MOROCCO. 

uresque  description  of  the  invasion  of  these  for- 
midable insects,  and  I  remember  it  word  for  word  ; 
but  I  cannot  render  the  effect  of  his  gesture,  voice, 
and  look,  which  were  more  expressive  than  his 
words.  "  It  is  a  terrible  thing,  sir !  They  come 
from  there  (pointing  toward  the  south).  A  black 
cloud.  You  can  hear  the  noise  from  afar  off.  They 
advance  and  advance,  and  they  have  their  Sultan, 
the  Sultan  Jeraad,  who  guides  them.  Thereover 
roads  and  fields,  houses,  duars,  and  woods.  The 
cloud  grows  and  grows,  and  comes  and  comes 
and  comes,  and  eats  and  eats  and  eats,  passes 
rivers,  passes  walls,  passes  fires  ;  destroys  grass, 
flowers,  leaves,  fruit,  grain,  bark  of  trees,  and 
goes  and  goes.  Nothing  stays  it,  neither  the  tribe 
with  fire,  nor  the  Sultan  with  all  his  army,  nor  all 
the  people  of  Morocco  gathered  together.  Heaps 
of  locusts  dead  ;  forward  the  living  locusts !  Ten 
die,  a  hundred  are  born  !  A  hundred  die,  a  thou- 
sand are  born !  Roads  covered,  gardens  covered, 
sea-shore  covered  ;  all  green,  all  in  motion,  alive, 
dead,  smell,  plague,  famine,  the  '  curse  of  heaven  ! ' ' 
So  indeed  it  is.  The  horrid  smell  that  emanates 
from  myriads  of  dead  locusts  sometimes  produces 
contagious  fevers,  and,  to  cite  one  example,  the  ter- 
rible pestilence  that  depopulated  in  1799  the  cities 
and  country  of  Barbary  broke  out  after  one  of  their 
invasions.  When  the  advanced  guard  of  their  de- 
vastating army  appears,  the  Arabs  go  to  meet  it  in 
squads  of  four  or  five  hundred  with  sticks  and  fire ; 


ZEGUTA.  177 

but  they  succeed  only  in  turning  it  a  little  from  its 
road,  and  it  often  happens  that  one  tribe  turning  it 
aside  toward  the  territory  of  another,  war  against 
the  locusts  is  suddenly  turned  into  civil  war.  The 
only  force  that  can  liberate  the  country  from  this 
scourge  is  a  favorable  wind  which  drives  them  into  the 
sea,  where  they  are  drowned,  and  are  thrown  after- 
ward in  heaps  upon  the  coast ;  and  the  only  comfort 
the  inhabitants  can  take  when  the  favorable  wind  is 
wanting,  is  to  eat  their  enemies,  which  they  do,  be- 
fore they  have  deposited  their  eggs,  boiled,  and  sea- 
soned with  salt,  pepper,  and  vinegar.  They  have 
the  flavor  of  shrimps,  and  as  many  as  four  hundred 
can  be  eaten  in  a  day. 

At  about  two  miles  from  the  camp  we  rejoined  a 
part  of  the  caravan  that  was  carrying  to  Fez  the 
presents  from  Victor  Emanuel.1  There  were  camels 
in  pairs,  one  behind  the  other,  with  two  long  poles 
suspended  from  the  crupper,  on  which  the  cases 
were  carried.  Some  Arabs  on  foot,  and  mount'ed 
soldiers,  accompanied  them.  At  the  head  of  the 
caravan  was  a  cart  drawn  by  two  bullocks ;  the  first 
cart  we  saw  in  Morocco!  It  was  made  at  Laracce 
on  purpose,  after  the  pattern,  I  believe,  of  the  first 
vehicle  that  ever  appeared  on  the  earth — a  heavy 
deformed  body,  upon  two  wheels  all  of  one  piece, 
without  spokes  ;  the  strangest  and  most  ridiculous 
affair  that  can  be  imagined.  But  to  the  natives,  the 
most  of  whom  had  never  seen  a  cart,  it  was  a  won- 

1  The  then  king  of  Italy.     Died  in  1878. 


1/8  MOROCCO. 

der.  They  came  from  all  sides  to  see  it,  pointed  it 
out  to  one  another,  followed  and  preceded  it,  and 
talked  about  it  with  excited  gestures.  Meantime 
our  mules,  unused  to  such  an  object,  gave  signs  ot 
surprise,  and  planting  themselves  on  their  four  legs 
refused  to  pass  it.  Selim  himself  regarded  it  with 
complacency,  as  if  he  said  to  himself,  "  It  was  made 
in  our  country."  And  he  was  excusable,  since  in 
all  Morocco  there  exist  about  as  many  carts  as  piano- 
fortes, which  latter,  if  I  may  believe  the  assertion  of 
the  French  Consul,  are  about  a  dozen  ;  and  also  it 
seems  that  there  is  in  that  country  a  national  an- 
tipathy against  every  kind  of  vehicle.  The  authori- 
ties of  Tangiers,  for  example,  prohibited  Princt 
Frederic  of  Hesse  Darmstadt,  who  was  in  that  city 
in  1839,  from  going  out  in  a  carriage.  The  Prince 
wrote  to  the  Sultan,  offering  to  pave  the  principal 
street  at  his  own  expense,  if  he  would  permit  what 
the  authorities  denied  him.  "  I  permit  it,"  answered 
the*  Sultan,  "  and  willingly  ;  but  on  one  condition, 
that  the  carriage  shall  be  without  wheels  ;  because, 
being  protector  of  the  faithful,  I  cannot  expose  my 
subjects  to  be  crushed  by  a  Christian."  And  the 
prince,  in  order  to  make  the  thing  ridiculous,  availed 
himself  of  the  permission  with  the  conditions,  and 
there  are  still  at  Tangiers  persons  who  remember 
having  seen  him  going  about  the  city  in  a  carriage 
without  wheels,  suspended  between  two  mules. 

We  arrived  at  last  at  those  blessed  hills  which  we 
had  been  looking  forward  to  for  three  days  with  im- 


ZEGUTA.  179 

patient  longing.  After  a  long  climb  we  entered  a 
narrow  gorge,  called  in  Arabic  Ben-Tinea,  where 
we  were  obliged  to  pass  one  by  one,  and  came  out 
upon  a  beautiful  flowery  valley,  quite  solitary,  where 
the  escort  scattered  gaily,  filling  the  air  with  songs 
and  cries  of  joy. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  valley  we  met  another  es- 
cort from  the  territory  of  the  military  colonies,  which 
took  the  place  of  the  former  one. 

They  were  about  one  hundred  horsemen,  some 
very  old  and  some  very  young,  black,  and  hairy  ; 
some  were  mounted  on  stupendous  horses,  capar- 
isoned with  great  pomp.  The  caid,  Abu-Ben-Gileli, 
was  a  robust  old  man,  of  severe  aspect  and  reserved 
manners. 

At  a  certain  moment  the  Ambassador  and  the 
captain,  accompanied  by  Hamed  Ben-Kasen  and  a 
few  soldiers,  left  the  caravan  to  ascend  a  mountain 
called  Selfat,  a  few  miles  distant ;  the  rest  of  us  con- 
tinued on  the  regular  route. 

A  short  time  after  their  departure  there  came 
toward  us  an  Arab  boy  of  sixteen  or  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  almost  naked,  driving  before  him  with  a 
stick  two  unwilling  oxen. 

The  caid,  Abu-Ben-Gileli,  stopped  his  horse,  and 
called  him.  We  learned  afterward  that  this  boy  was 
to  attach  his  oxen  to  the  cart  that  we  had  seen,  and 
was  several  hours  behind  his  time. 

The  poor  lad,  all  trembling,  presented  himself  be- 
fore the  caid.  The  latter  asked  some  questions,  to 


ISO  MOROCCO. 

which  the  boy  replied,  stammering,  and  pale  as  a 
corpse. 

Then  the  caid  'turned  toward  the  soldiers,  and 
said,  coldly,  "  Fifty  bastonate" 

Three  robust  men  sprang  from  their  horses.  The 
poor  young  fellow,  without  ajvord,  without  even 
lifting  his  eyes  to  the  face  of  his  judge,  threw  him- 
self face  downward  on  the  ground,  according  to  the 
custom,  with  arms  and  legs  stretched  out. 

It  all  happened  in  a  moment.  The  stick  was  yet 
in  the  air,  when  the  Commandant  and  others  had 
sprung  forward,  and  declared  that  the  brutal  punish- 
ment could  not  be  permitted.  The  caid  bowed  his 
head.  The  lad  rose  from  the  ground,  pale  and  con- 
vulsed, looking  with  an  expression  of  astonishment 
and  terror  from  his  preservers  to  the  caid. 

"  Go,"  said  the  interpreter  ;  "  you  are  free !  " 

"  Oh !  "  he  cried,  with  an  indescribable  accent, 
and  vanished.  We  resumed  our  march.  I  have 
seen  a  man  killed,  but  never  have  I  experienced  so 
profound  a  feeling  of  horror  as  that  which  assailed 
me  at  the  sight  of  that  half-naked  boy  stretched  on 
the  ground  to  receive  his  fifty  blows  with  a  stick. 
And  after  the  horror,  my  blood  rushed  to  my  face 
with  indignation  against  the  caid,  the  Sultan,  Mo- 
rocco, and  barbarism.  But  it  is  true  that  second 
thoughts  are  best.  After  a  moment,  I  thought— 
and  we,  how  many  years  is  it  since  we  abolished 
the  stick  ?  How  many  since  it  was  in  use  in  Aus- 
tria, in  Prussia,  and  in  others  of  the  European 


ZEGUTA.  l8l 

States  ?  This  reflection  calmed  my  anger,  and  left 
me  only  a  sentiment  of  bitterness.  If  any  one  wants 
to  know  in  what  fashion  the  bastinado  is  carried  on 
in  Morocco,  it  is  enough  to  say  that  sometimes,  the 
operation  over,  the  victim  is  carried  to  the  ceme- 
tery. 

From  thence  to  Zeguta  the  caravan  passed  from 
hill  to  hill,  from  valley  to  valley,  through  fields  of 
grain  and  barley,  and  verdant  plains  surrounded  by 
aloes,  cactus,  wild  olive,  dwarf  oaks,  arbutus,  myr- 
tle, and  other  flowering  shrubs.  We  saw  no  living 
soul  nor  any  tents.  The  country  was  solitary,  si- 
lent, and  all  overgrown,  like  an  enchanted  garden. 
Coming  to  a  rising  ground  we  saw  the  blue  summits 
of  the  mountains  of  Fez  suddenly  appearing,  as  if 
they  had  thrust  up  their  heads  to  look  at  us  ;  and  at 
the  hottest  time  in  the  day  we  reached  Zeguta. 

It  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
places  we  had  yet  seen.  The  tents  were  pitched  on 
the  slope  of  a  hill  in  a  large  rocky  cavity,  in  the  form 
of  an  amphitheatre,  around  the  sides  of  which  the 
accidents  of  the  ground  and  the  passage  of  men 
and  animals  had  formed  something  resembling  rows 
of  seats  or  steps,  which  at  that  time  were  swarming 
with  Arabs  seated  in  a  semicircle  as  if  looking  on 
at  a  spectacle.  In  front  a  broad  valley  of  shell-like 
form  opened  with  all  its  lovely  variety  of  color,  ac- 
cording to  the  cultivation,  in  squares  of  green,  yel- 
low, red,  violet,  and  white,  like  a  great  chess-board 
make  of  silk  and  velvet.  With  the  glass  could  be 


1 82  MOROCCO, 

seen,  on  the  more  distant  hills,  here  a  string  of  tents, 
there  a  white  cuba  among  the  aloe  plants  ;  beyond, 
a  camel,  a  crouching  Arab,  cattle,  a  group  of  women 
— a  life  so  still  and  scattered  that  it  threw  into  relief 
the  profound  peacefulness  of  the  scene  better  than 
complete  solitude  could  have  done.  And  over  all 
this  beauty  was  spread  a  white  and  burning  sky  that 
dazzled  the  eyes  and  obliged  one  to  stand  with  droop- 
ing head. 

But  I  remember  the  encampment  at  Zeguta  less 
for  its  beauty  than  for  an  experiment  we  made  there 
with  the  famous  kif. 

Kif,  for  those  who  do  not  know  it,  is  the  leaf  of  a 
kind  of  hemp,  called  hashish,  known  all  over  the 
East  for  its  intoxicating  quality.  It  is  much  in  use 
in  Morocco,  and  it  may  be  said  that  all  those  Moors 
and  Arabs  who  are  met  in  the  streets  of  the  cities, 
dragging  themselves  about,  and  looking  with  a  dull, 
stupefied  expression,  like  men  who  have  just  had  a 
blow  on  the  head,  are  victims  of  this  deleterious 
drug.  The  greater  part  of  them  smoke  it,  mixed 
with  a  little  tobacco,  in  small  clay  pipes  ;  others  eat 
it  in  the  form  of  a  sweetmeat  called  madjun,  made 
of  butter,  honey,  nutmeg,  and  cloves.  The  effects 
of  it  are  most  curious.  Doctor  Miguerez,  who  had 
tried  it,  often  told  me  about  it,  saying,  among  other 
things,  that  he  had  been  seized  with  a  fit  of  irresisti- 
ble laughter,  and  that  he  imagined  himself  to  be  lifted 
from  the  ground,  so  that  passing  under  a  lofty  arch- 
way, he  had  stooped  his  head  for  fear  of  striking  it 


ZEGUTA.  183 

Stimulated  by  curiosity,  I  had  more  than  once  asked 
him  to  give  me  a  dose  of  madjun — a  little,  not 
enough  to  make  me  lose  my  wits,  but  enough  to  let 
me  experience  at  least  one  or  two  of  the  wonders 
that  he  related.  The  good  doctor  at  first  excused 
himself,  declaring  that  it  was  better  to  try  it  at  Fez ; 
but  he  yielded  at  last  to  my  entreaties,  and  the  ex- 
periment was  made  at  Zeguta,  where,  much  against 
his  will,  he  finally  presented  me  with  the  wished-for 
morsel  on  a  small  plate.  We  were  at  table,  and,  if  I 
am  not  mistaken,  the  two  artists  shared  it  with  me, 
but  I  do  not  remember  how  it  affected  them.  It  was 
a  soft  paste  of  a  violet  color,  and  smelt  like  poma- 
tum. For  about  half  an  hour,  from  the  soup  to  the 
fruit,  I  felt  nothing,  and  chaffed  the  doctor  for  his 
timidity.  But  he  only  said,  "  Wait  a  bit !  "  and 
smiled.  Presently  I  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  of 
great  hilarity,  and  knew  that  I  was  talking  very 
quickly.  Then  I  laughed  at  every  thing  that  others 
said,  or  that  I  said  myself;  every  word  seemed  to 
me  the  purest  wit  and  humor  ;  I  laughed  at  the  ser- 
vants, at  my  companions,  at  the  figures  on  the  plates, 
at  the  forms  of  the  bottles,  at  the  color  of  the  cheese 
I  was  eating.  Suddenly  I  was  aware  that  my  wits 
were  wandering,  and  I  tried  to  fix  my  thoughts  upon 
something  serious.  I  thought  of  the  boy  who  was 
to  have  been  bastinadoed  in  the  morning.  Poor 
boy  !  I  was  moved  with  compassion.  I  should  have 
liked  to  take,  him  to  Italy,  educate  him,  give  him  a 
career.  I  loved  him  like  a  son.  And  the  caid, 


1 84  MOROCCO. 

too,  Abu-Ben-Gileli,  poor  old  man!  I  loved  the 
caid  like  a  father.  And  the  soldiers  of  the  escort ! 
— all  good  fellows,  ready  to  defend  me,  to  risk  their 
lives  for  me.  I  loved  them  liked  brothers.  I  loved 
the  Algerines  also,  and  why  not?  I  thought;  are 
they  not  of  the  same  race  ? — and  what  a  race !  We 
are  all  brothers  ;  we  ought  to  love  each  other ;  and 
I  threw  my  arms  round  the  neck  of  the  doctor,  who 
was  laughing.  From  this  delight  I  suddenly  fell 
into  a  deep  and  vague  melancholy.  I  remembered 
the  persons  whom  I  had  offended,  the  pain  I  had 
inflicted  on  those  who  loved  me,  and  was  oppressed 
by  poignant  remorse  and  regret ;  I  seemed  to  hear 
voices  in  my  ears  speaking  in  tones  of  loving  re- 
proach ;  I  repented,  I  asked  pardon,  I  furtively 
wiped  away  big  tears  that  were  in  my  eyes.  Then 
there  rose  in  my  mind  a  crowd  of  strange  and  con- 
trasted images  that  vanished  as  quickly  as  they 
came  ;  forgotten  friends  of  my  childhood,  words  of 
a  dialect  unused  for  twenty  years,  faces  of  women, 
my  old  regiment,  William  the  Silent,  Paris,  my  pub- 
lisher Barbera,  a  beaver  hat  that  I  had  when  I  was 
a  boy,  the  Acropolis  at  Athens,  the  bill  of  an  inn- 
keeper at  Seville,  and  a  thousand  other  absurdities. 
I  remember  confusedly  the  amused  looks  of  my 
companions  at  table.  From  time  to  time  I  closed 
my  eyes,  and  opened  them  again,  unconscious  of 
the  passage  of  time,  and  ignorant  whether  I  had 
slept  or  not.  My  thoughts  sparkled  and  went  out 
like  fire-flies,  intricate  and  inextricable.  At  one  mo- 


ZEGUTA.  !3^ 

ment  I  saw  Ussi  with  his  face  lengthened  like  a  re- 
flection in  a  convex  mirror ;  the  vice-consul,  with 
his  visage  a  foot  in  breadth  ;  all  the  others  attenu- 
ated, swollen,  contorted,  like  fantastic  caricatures, 
making  the  most  impossible  grimaces  ;  and  I  laughed, 
and  wagged  my  head,  and  dreamed,  and  thought 
that  they  were  all  crazy,  that  we  were  in  another 
world,  that  what  I  saw  was  not  true,  that  I  was  ill, 
that  I  could  not  understand  what  had  happened,  that 
I  did  not  know  where  I  was.  Then  all  was  dark- 
ness and  silence.  When  I  came  to  myself  I  was  in 
my  tent,  stretched  on  the  bed,  and  the  doctor,  stand- 
ing beside  me  with  a  candle  in  his  hand,  was  saying, 
with  a  smile,  "  It  is  over  ;  but  let  it  be  the  last,  as  it 
was  the  first 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM    ZEGUTA    TO    SAGAT. 

WHILST  I  was  running  here  and  there  in 
search  of  my  mule — which,  I  do  not  know 
how  or  why,  was  at  last  found  among  the  baggage 
— the  members  of  the  embassy  departed.  I  still 
had  time  to  come  up  with  them,  but  in  leaving  the 
camp  and  going  down  a  rocky  path,  my  mule  stum- 
bled, the  saddle  slipped,  and  literature,  as  repre- 
sented in  my  person,  was  precipitated  to  the  ground. 
It  took  half  an  hour  to  set  matters  straight  again,  and 
meantime,  adieu  to  the  embassy !  I  had  to  make 
the  journey  alone,  followed  afar  off  by  a  limping  ser- 
vitor, who  could  hardly  arrive  in  time,  in  case  of  an 
assault,  to  see  me  breathe  my  last  breath.  May  the 
will  of  Allah  be  done  !  The  country  is  deserted, 
and  the  sky  cloudy.  From  time  to  time  I  can  see, 
on  the  summit  of  distant  heights,  a  gay  cavalcade, 
among  which  I  recognize  the  Ambassador's  white 
horse,  and  Selim's  red  caftan  ;  and  then  I  do  not 
feel  so  much  alone  ;  but  the  cavalcade  vanishes,  and 
solitude  once  more  oppresses  my  heart.  In  an 
hour's  time  I  rejoin  the  rear-guard  of  twelve  horse- 

186 


FROM  ZEGUTA    TO   SAG  AT.  iS/ 

men,  led  by  old  Abu-Ben-Gileli,  the  caid,  who  gives 
me  a  terrible  glance  that  I  feel  all  down  my  spine. 
I  smile  with  humility  and  pass  on.  Coming  out  of 
the  lovely  valley  on  which  our  encampment  looked, 
I  enter  another  spacious  valley,  flanked  by  steep 
hills  clothed  with  aloe  and  olive,  forming  two  great 
green  walls  to  the  right  and  left  of  a  broad  straight 
road,  closed  at  the  end  by  a  curtain  of  blue  moun- 
tains. I  meet  a  few  Arabs,  who  stop  and  look 
amazed  at  seeing  me  without  an  escort.  Will  they 
attack  me,  or  no  ?  One  goes  to  a  tree,  and  hastily 
tearing  off  a  branch,  runs  toward  me  with  it.  It  has 
come !  I  stop  my  mule  and  grasp  my  pistol.  He 
laughs,  and  hands  me  the  branch,  explaining  that  it 
is  to  beat  my  lazy  mule  with.  At  that  moment  two 
soldiers  of  the  escort  come  galloping  to  meet  me  ; 
my  hour  is  not  yet  come.  The  two  soldiers  place 
themselves  one  on  either  side,  and  drive  forward  my 
quadruped  with  blows  from  the  butts  of  their  mus- 
kets, saying  :  Embasceador !  Emba sccador !  The 
Ambassador  has  sent  them  back  to  see  what  has 
become  of  me.  They  deserve  a  reward.  I  stop 
and  offer  them  a  small  bottle  of  wine  which  I  take 
from  my  pocket.  They  say  neither  yes  nor  no,  but 
look  smiling  at  each  other,  and  then  sign  to  me  that 
they  have  never  drunk  wine.  "  Try  it,"  I  say  with 
a  gesture.  One  takes  the  bottle,  pours  a  few 
drops  in  the  palm  of  his  hand,  licks  it  up,  and 
remains  thoughtful  for  a  moment.  The  other 
does  the  same.  Then  they  laugh,  look  at  each 


1 88  MOXOCCO. 

other,  and  make  signs  that  it  is  good.  "  Drink, 
then."  One  empties  half  the  bottle  at  a  gulp  ;  the 
other  finishes  it  ;  then  they  each  place  a  hand  on 
their  stomach,  and  turn  up  their  eyes  to  heaven. 
We  resume  our  road.  We  meet  Arabs,  men, 
women,  and  children,  who  all  look  at  me  with  sur- 
prise. One  of  them  says  something,  which  is  an- 
swered by  the  soldiers  with  an  emphatic  negative. 
He  said,  "  Here  is  a  Christian  who  has  been  robbing 
the  Ambassador." 

We  saw  some  white  villages  on  the  top  of  the 
rising  ground  that  bordered  the  valley  ;  cube,  palms, 
fruit-trees,  flowering  oleanders,  and  rose  gardens 
were  visible  ;  the  country  was  brilliantly  green,  and 
began  to  show  here  and  there  traces  of  division  into 
farms.  At  last  we  entered  a  narrow,  rocky  gorge, 
and  issuing  thence  found  ourselves  at  the  camp.  We 
are  upon  the  banks  of  the  Miches,  an  affluent  of 
the  Sebu,  near  a  little  bridge  built  of  masonry,  and 
in  a  semicircle  of  rocky  hills.  The  gray  sky,  like  a 
leaden  roof,  sends  down  a  pale  dull  light ;  the  ther- 
mometer marks  forty  degrees  centigrade  ;  we  are 
constrained  to  remain  seven  hours  motionless  in  our 
tents.  The  air  is  heavy  and  burning.  No  sound  is 
heard  but  the  grasshopper's  chirp  and  Ducali's 
guitar.  A  profound  ennui  broods  over  the  entire 
encampment.  But  toward  evening  there  is  a  change. 
A  light  shower  refreshes  the  air  ;  a  shaft  of  rays, 
darting  like  a  stream  of  electric  light  through  the 
opening  of  the  gorge,  gilds  one  half  the  camp  ; 


FROM  ZEGUTA    TO   SAG  AT.  189 

couriers  arrive  from  Tangiers  and  Fez,  and  Arabs 
from  the  villages.  Two  thirds  of  the  caravan  are 
in  the  river  ;  and  the  dinner  is  enlivened  by  the  ap- 
parition of  a  new  personage,  come  from  the  great 
city  of  the  Scherifs  ;  the  Moor  Schellah,  another 
of  the  proteges  of  the  Legation  who  has  a  suit 
pending  with  the  Sultan's  government ;  the  most 
voluminous  turban,  the  most  rotund  visage,  the  most 
comfortable  and  unctuous  of  fat  Moors  that  we  have 
seen  between  this  and  Tangiers.  The  next  morning 
at  dawn  we  resumed  our  march  without  other  escort 
than  the  forty  soldiers  commanded  by  Hamed  Ben- 
Kasen.  A  revolt  had  broken  out  in  the  confines  of 
Algiers,  and  all  the  cavalry  in  Fez  had  been  sent 
against  the  rebels.  "  We  shall  see  many  heads 
hanging  over  the  gates  of  Fez,"  said  Ducali.  After 
two  hours'  journey  among  the  broom-clad  hills,  we 
came  out  upon  the  vast  table-land  of  Fez,  encircled 
by  mountains  and  hills,  golden  with  grain,  sprinkled 
with  large  duar,  watered  by  the  river  of  the  Azure 
Fountain,  which  empties  into  the  Miches,  and  by 
the  Pearl  river,  affluent  of  the  Sebu,  which  divides 
into  two  parts  the  sacred  city  of  the  empire.  Flocks 
of  cranes,  wild  geese,  doves,  pheasants,  and  heron, 
flew  over  it,  and  the  luxuriant  vegetation,  full  of 
smiling  peace  and  light,  made  it  like  one  vast  gar- 
den. We  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  Azure 
Fountain  river.  The  day  flew  by  with  lightning 
speed,  what  with  visiting,  hunting,  the  duar,  Jews 
coming  from  Fez  to  relate  the  great  preparations 


190  MOROCCO. 

that  were  being  made,  and  messengers  from  the 
court  bringing  the  Sultan's  salutations.  Arabs 
came,  fording  the  river  in  families,  first  the  camel, 
then  the  men,  then  the  women  with  their  children 
on  their  backs,  then  the  boys  and  girls,  then  the 
dogs  swimming.  Caravans  passed,  crowds  of  curi- 
ous lookers-on  appeared  ;  the  sunset  was  exquisite, 
and  the  night  more  luminous  than  our  eyes  had  ever 
beheld.  In  the  morning  at  daybreak  we  were  again 
on  the  march.  We  re-entered  the  hilly  region, 
turned  to  descend  into  the  plain,  and  threaded  a 
winding  road  between  two  banks  that  hid  the  hori- 
zon. 

A  sonorous  voice  cried  out  "  Behold  Fez !  " 
Everybody  stopped.  Straight  before  us,  at  a  few 
miles'  distance,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  lay  a 
forest  of  towers,  minarets,  and  palms,  veiled  by  a 
light  mist.  A  joyful  shout  of  "  Here  we  are  : " 
broke  from  every  lip,  in  Italian,  in  Spanish,  in 
French,  Arabic,  Genoese,  Sicilian,  and  Neapolitan  ; 
and  to  the  first  brief  silence  of  astonishment  suc- 
ceeded a  buzz  of  conversation.  We  encamped  for 
the  last  time  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Tagat  on  the 
shore  of  the  Pearl  river,  at  about  one  hour  and  a 
half  from  Fez. 

Here  throughout  the  day  there  was  a  coming  and 
going  and  a  bustle  that  made  it  seem  like  the  gen- 
eral head-quarters  of  an  army  in  time  of  war.  Mes- 
sengers from  the  Sultan,  from  the  prime  minister, 
from  the  grand  chamberlain,  from  the  governor, 


FROM  ZEGUTA    TO   SAG  AT.  19! 

officers,  major-domos,  merchants,  relatives  of  the 
Moors  of  the  caravan,  all  well-dressed  people,  neat, 
ceremonious,  surrounded  by  the  air  of  a  court  and 
a  metropolis,  speaking  with  grave  voices  and  digni- 
fied gesture,  and  telling  of  the  formidable  army,  the 
immense  crowd,  the  delicious  palace  that  awaited 
us.  Our  entrance  into  Fez  was  fixed  for  eight 
o'clock  the  next  morning.  At  daydawn  we  were  all 
afoot.  There  was  great  use  of  razors,  brushes, 
combs,  and  curry-combs,  and  an  excitement  of  spirits 
that  made  up  for  all  the  tedium  of  the  journey. 
The  Ambassador  put  on  his  gilded  cap  ;  Hamed 
Ben-Kasen  his  dress  sabre,  Selim  his  red  caftan, 
Civo  a  green  handkerchief  on  his  head,  a  sign  of 
high  solemnity;  the  servants  came  out  in  white 
mantles  ;  the  soldiers'  arms  shone  in  the  sun  ;  the 
Italians  put  on  the  best  they  had  in  their  trunks. 
We  were  about  a  hundred  in  all,  and  it  may  be  af- 
firmed that  Italy  never  had  an  embassy  more  oddly 
composed,  more  gorgeous  in  color,  more  joyously 
impatient,  or  more  eagerly  expected  than  this  one. 
The  weather  is  splendid,  the  horses  prance,  robes 
float  out  in  the  morning  breeze,  every  face  is  ani- 
mated, every  eye  is  fixed  upon  the  Ambassador, 
who  counts  the  minutes  on  his  watch.  It  is  eight 
o'clock — a  sign — every  one  is  in  the  saddle — and  we 
advance  with  hearts  beating  high  in  expectation. 


Aflfi 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FEZ. 

WE  had  not  advanced  half  a  mile  toward  the 
city  when  we  were  surrounded  by  a  throng 
of  Moors  and  Arabs  come  from  Fez  and  from  the 
country  round,  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  on  mules 
and  on  donkeys,  two  and  two  like  the  ancient  Nu- 
midians,  so  eager  to  see  us  that  the  soldiers  of  our 
escort  are  obliged  to  make  use  of  the  butt  end  of 
their  muskets  to  keep  them  from  pressing  upon  us. 
The  ground  being  low,  the  city,  whose  castellated 
walls  we  had  seen  from  the  camp,  remains  for  some 
time  hidden.  Then  all  at  once  it  reappears,  and  be- 
tween us  and  the  walls  we  can  see  an  immense 
white  and  crimson  mass,  like  a  myriad  of  lilies  and 
roses  trembling  in  the  breeze.  The  city  vanishes 
again,  and  again  appears,  but  much  nearer  this 
time  ;  and  between  us  and  it, the  people,  the  army, 
the  court,  and  a  pomp  and  splendor  and  oddity  that 
are  beyond  my  powers  of  description. 

A  company  of  officers  on  horseback  came  gallop- 
ing to  meet  us,  and  dividing  in  the  middle,  pass  to 
the  rear  and  join  themselves  to  our  escort.  Behind 


FEZ.  193 

them  comes  a  troop  of  horsemen  splendidly  attired 
and  mounted  on  superb  horses,  preceded  by  a  Moor 
of  tall  stature,  with  a  white  turban  and  a  rose-col- 
ored caftan.  He  is  the  grand  chamberlain,  Hadji 
Mohammed  Ben-Aissa,  accompanied  by  his  suite, 
who,  having  welcomed  the  Ambassador  in  the  Sul- 
tan's name,  joins  the  escort. 

We  advance  between  two  rows  of  infantry  sol- 
diers, who  with  difficulty  keep  back  the  crowd. 
What  soldiers  they  are !  There  are  old  men  and 
mature  men,  and  boys  of  fifteen,  twelve,  and  even 
nine  years  of  age,  dressed  in  scarlet,  with  bare  legs 
and  yellow  slippers,  ranged  along  in  single  file  with- 
out regard  to  height,  with  their  captains  in  front. 
Each  one  presents  in  his  own  fashion  his  rusty  mus- 
ket and  his  crooked  bayonet.  Some  stand  with  one 
foot  foremost,  some  with  legs  apart,  some  with  their 
heads  on  their  shoulders,  some  with  their  chins  on 
their  breasts.  Some  have  put  their  red  jackets  on 
their  heads  to  shelter  them  from  the  sun.  Here 
and  there  is  a  tambourine,  a  trumpet,  five  or  six 
banners,  one  beside  the  other — red,  yellow,  green, 
orange, — carried  as  crosses  are  carried  in  a  proces- 
sion. There  seems  to  be  no  division  into  squadrons 
or  companies.  They  look  like  paper  soldiers  stuck 
up  in  a  row  by  boys.  There  are  blacks,  mulattoes, 
whites,  and  faces  of  an  indefinable  color  ;  men  ot 
gigantic  stature  beside  boys  who  are  scarcely  old 
enough  to  hold  a  gun  ;  bent  old  men  with  long 
white  beards,  leaning  on  their  neighbors  ;  savage 


194  MOROCCO. 

faces,  making  the  effect,  in  that  uniform,  of  dressed- 
up  monkeys.  They  all  look  at  us  with  open  eyes 
and  mouth,  and  their  line  stretches  farther  than  we 
can  see. 

A  second  troop  of  horsemen  advances  on  the 
left.  It  is  the  old  governor,  Gilali  Ben-Amu,  fol- 
lowed by  eighteen  chiefs  of  inferior  degree  and  by 
the  flower  of  the  aristocracy  of  Fez,  all  dressed  in 
white  from  head  to  foot,  like  a  company  of  priests- 
austere  visages,  black  beards,  silken  caics,  gilded 
housings.  Saluting  us,  they  circle  round,  and  join 
our  cortege. 

We  go  forward,  still  between  two  lines  of  soldiers, 
behind  whom  presses  a  white  and  hooded  crowd 
who  devour  us  with  their  eyes.  They  are  always 
the  same  soldiers,  for  the  most  part  boys,  wearing 
the  fez,  with  red  jackets  and  bare  legs.  They  have 
blue,  white,  or  green  drawers.  Some  are  in  their 
shirt  sleeves  ;  some  hold  their  muskets  on  their 
shoulder,  some  rest  them  on  the  ground ;  some 
press  forward,  some  hang  back.  The  officers  are 
dressed  according  to  their  fancy — zouaves,  Turcos, 
Greeks,  Albanians,  Turks  —  with  arabesque  em- 
broidery of  gold  and  silver,  with  scimitars,  swords, 
curved  poniards,  horse  pistols.  Some  wear  the 
boots  of  a  groom,  and  some  yellow  boots  without 
heels;  some  are  all  in  crimson,  some  all  in  white  ; 
some  in  green,  and  looking  like  masquerade  devils. 
Here  and  there  among  them  may  be  seen  a  Euro- 
pean face,  looking  at  us  sadly  and  with  sympathy. 


FEZ.  195 

As  many  as  ten  banners  are  ranged  in  a  row  to- 
gether. The  trumpets  sound  as  we  pass.  A 
woman's  arm  protrudes  itself  between  the  soldiers' 
heads,  and  threatens  us  with  clenched  fist.  The 
walls  of  the  city  seem  to  recede  before  us,  and  the 
two  lines  of  soldiers  to  extend  interminably. 

Another  troop  of  cavaliers,  more  splendid  than 
the  first,  comes  to  meet  us.  It  is  the  aged  Minister" 
of  War,  Sid- Abd- Alia  Ben-Hamed,  black,  mounted 
on  a  white  horse  with  sky-blue  trappings  ;  and  with 
him  are  the  military  governors  of  provinces,  the 
commandant  of  the  garrison,  and  a  numerous  staff 
of  officers  crowned  with  snowy  turbans,  and  wearing 
caftans  of  every  known  color. 

It  is  now  more  than  half  an  hour  that  we  have 
been  proceeding  between  the  two  lines  of  soldiers, 
and  some  one  has  counted  more  than  four  thousand. 
On  one  side  is  drawn  out  the  cavalry  ;  on  the  other 
a  nameless  and  heterogeneous  mass  of  men  and 
boys,  dressed  in  divers  uniforms,  or  rather  fragments 
of  uniforms,  some  with  arms  and  some  without, 
cloaked  and  uncloaked,  with  uncovered  heads,  or 
heads  bound  with  a  shapeless  rag,  shirtless  for  the 
most  part ;  faces  from  the  desert,  from  the  coast, 
from  the  mountains  ;  shaven  heads,  and  heads  or- 
namented- with  long  braids  ;  giants  and  dwarfs- 
people  gathered  from  heaven  knows  where,  to 
make  a  show  and  inspire  terror.  And  behind  them 
on  the  rising  ground  that  borders  the  way,  an  innu- 
merable throng  of  veiled  women,  screaming  and 


igb  MOROCCO. 

gesticulating,   in   wonder,   anger,   or  pleasure,    and 
holding  up  their  children  to  see  us. 

We  approach  the  walls  at  a  point  where  there  is 
a  venerable  gate  crowned  with  battlements.  A  band 
bursts  into  music,  and  at  the  same  moment  all  the 
drums  and  trumpets  rend  the  air  with  a  mighty 
crash.  Then  our  ranks  are  broken  up,  and  there  is 
a  general  rush  and  confusion  of  magistrates,  court- 
iers, ministers,  generals,  officials,  and  slaves  ;  our 
escort  is  scattered,  our  servants  dispersed,  and  we 
ourselves  divided  from  each  other.  There  is  a  tor- 
rent of  turbans  and  horses  rolling  and  twisting  about 
us  with  irresistible  impetus  ;  a  confusion  of  colors,  a 
phantasmagoria  of  faces,  a  noise  of  harsh  voices,  a 
grandeur  and  savagery  that  at  once  delight  and  be- 
wilder. Passing  in  at  the  gate,  we  expect  to  see 
the  houses  of  the  city,  but  are  still  between  castel- 
lated walls  and  towers  ;  to  the  left  is  a  tomb,  or 
cuba,  with  a  green  dome  shaded  by  two  palms  ;  peo- 
ple about  the  cuba,  upon  the  walls,  everywhere. 
We  pass  another  gate,  and  find  ourselves  at  last  in 
a  street  with  houses  on  each  side. 

My  memory  here  becomes  confused,  for  I  had  as 
much  as  I  could  do  to  save  my  neck,  going  as  we 
were  over  great  stones,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of 
plunging  horses  ;  it  would  have  been  all  up  with  any 
one  who  had  fallen.  We  passed,  I  remember, 
through  some  deserted  streets  bordered  by  tall 
houses,  suffocated  by  dust,  and  deafened  by  the 
noise  of  the  horses'  hoofs  ;  and  in  about  half  an  hour, 


FEZ.  197 

after  threading  a  labyrinth  of  steep  and  narrow 
alleys,  where  we  were  obliged  to  go  in  single  file,  we 
reached  a  little  door,  where  some  scarlet  soldiers 
presented  arms,  and  we  entered  our  own  house.  It 
was  a  delicious  sensation. 

The  house  was  a  princely  mansion  in  the  purely 
Moorish  style,  with  a  small  garden  shaded  by  paral- 
lel rows  of  orange  and  lemon  trees.  From  the  gar- 
den you  entered  the  interior  court  by  a  low  door, 
and  thence  into  a  corridor  large  enough  only  for  one 
person  to  pass.  Around  the  court  were  twelve 
white  pilasters,  joined  by  as  many  arches  of  a  horse- 
shoe form,  which  supported  an  arched  gallery  fur- 
nished with  a  wooden  balustrade.  The  pavement 
of  the  court,  gallery,  and  chambers  was  one  splendid 
mosaic  of  little  squares  of  enamel  of  brilliant  colors  ; 
the  arches  were  painted  in  arabesque  ;  the  balus- 
trade carved  in  delicate  open  work  ;  the  whole 
building  designed  with  a  grace  and  harmony  worthy 
of  the  architects  of  the  Alhambra.  In  the  middle  of 
the  court  there  was  a  fountain  ;  and  another  one, 
with  three  jets  of  water,  was  in  a  carved  and  orna- 
mented niche  in  the  wall.  A  large  Moorish  lantern 
depended  from  every  arch.  One  wing  of  the  edifice 
extended  along  one  side  of  the  garden,  and  had  a 
graceful  facade  of  three  arches,  painted  in  arabesque, 
in  front  of  which  a  third  fountain  sparkled.  There 
were  other  little  courts,  and  corridors,  and  chambers, 
and  the  innumerable  recesses  of  an  Oriental  house. 
Some  iron  beds,  without  sheets  or  coverlets,  a  few 


198  MOROCCO. 

clocks,  one  mirror  in  the  court,  two  chairs  and  a 
table  for  the  Ambassador,  and  half  a  dozen  basins  and 
jugs,  completed  the  furniture  of  the  house.  In  the 
principal  rooms  the  walls  were  hung  with  gold  em- 
broidered carpets,  and  some  white  mattresses  lay  on 
the  floors,  and,  except  in  the  Ambassador's  room, 
there  was  neither  chair,  nor  table,  nor  wardrobe. 
We  had  to  send  to  the  camp  for  some  furniture. 
But,  by  way  of  compensation,  there  was  ever)  where 
coolness,  shade,  the  gurgle  of  water,  fragrance,  and 
something  deliciously  soft  and  voluptuous  in  the 
lines  of  the  building,  in  the  air,  in  the  light.  The 
whole  edifice  was  encircled  by  a  lofty  wall,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  labyrinth  of  deserted  alleys. 

We  had  scarcely  arrived  in  the  court-yard  when 
there  began  a  coming  and  going  of  ministers  and 
other  high  personages,  each  one  of  whom  had  a  few 
minutes'  conversation  with  the  Ambassador..  The 
Minister  of  Finance  was  the  one  who  attracted  my 
attention  most.  He  was  a  Moor  of  about  fifty  years 
of  age,  of  a  severe  aspect,  beardless,  and  dressed 
all  in  white,  with  an  immense  turban.  An  inter- 
preter told  me  that  he  was  very  clever,  and  adduced 
as  proof  of  the  same,  that  he  one  day  had  brought 
to  him  one  of  those  little  arithmetical  machines,  and 
both  he  and  the  machine  had  done  the  same  sum  in 
the  same  time,  and  with  the  same  results.  It  was 
worth  while  to  see  the  expression  of  sacred  respect 
with  which  Selim,  All,  Civo,  and  the  rest,  regarded 
those  personages,  who,  after  the  Sultan,  represented 


FEZ.  199 

in  their  eyes  the  highest  grade  of  science,  power, 
and  glory  which  could  be  attained  on  this  earth. 

Those  visits  over,  we  took  possession  of  our  abode. 
The  two  painters,  the  doctor,  and  myself  occupied 
the  rooms  looking  on  the  garden  ;  the  rest,  those 
opening  on  the  court.  Interpreters,  cooks,  sailors, 
servants,  soldiers,  all  found  their  place,  and  in  a  few 
hours  the  aspect  of  the  house  was  changed. 

The  first  to  go  out  and  visit  the  city  were  Ussi 
and  Biseo,  the  two  artists  ;  and  then  the  comman- 
dant and  the  captain.  I  preferred  to  wait  until  the 
following  morning.  They  went  out  in  couples,  each 
encircled,  like  malefactors,  by  an  infantry  guard 
armed  with  muskets  and  sticks.  After  an  hour 
they  returned,  covered  with  dust,  and  all  dripping 
from  the  heat  ;  and  their  first  words  were,  "  Great 
city — great  crowd — immense  mosques — naked  saints 
—curses — sticks — wonderful  things!  "  But  Ussi  had 
had  the  most  interesting  adventure.  In  one  of  the 
most  frequented  streets,  in  spite  of  the  soldiers,  a 
girl  of  fifteen  or  thereabouts  had  sprung  upon  his 
shoulders  like  a  fury,  and  had  inflicted  a  vigorous 
pummeling,  crying  out,  "Accursed  Christians! 
There  is  not  a  corner  in  Morocco  where  they  do  not 
push  themselves !  "  Such  was  the  first  welcome 
given  to  Italian  art  within  the  walls  of  Fez. 

Late  in  the  night  I  made  a  tour  through  the  house. 
On  all  the  landing-places  of  the  stairs,  before  the 
chamber  doors,  in  the  garden,  were  soldiers  lying 
wrapped  in  their  mantles,  and  sound  asleep.  Before 


200  MOROCCO. 

the  little  door  of  the  court-yard,  the  faithful  Hamed 
Ben-Kasen,  with  his  sabre  by  his  side,  snored  in  the 
open  air.  The  dim  light  of  the  lanterns,  touching 
the  mosaic  pavements  here  and  there,  made  them 
look  as  if  set  with  pearls,  and  gave  an  air  of  myste- 
rious splendor  to  the  place.  The  sky  was  thickly 
set  with  stars,  and  a  light  breeze  moved  the  branches 
of  the  orange  trees  in  the  garden.  The  murmur  of 
the  Pearl  River  could  be  distinctly  heard ;  the  gur- 
gle of  the  fountains,  the  ticking  of  the  clocks,  and 
now  and  then  the  shrill  voices  of  the  sentinels  an- 
swering one  another  at  the  outer  doors  of  the  palace 
with  their  chanted  prayer. 

In  the  morning  we  went  out,  four  or  five  of  us  to- 
gether, accompanied  by  an  interpreter,  and  escorted 
by  ten  foot-soldiers,  one  of  whom  wore  buttons 
with  the  effigy  of  Queen  Victoria — for  many  of 
these  red  coats  are  bought  at  Gibraltar  from  soldiers 
of  the  English  army.  Two  of  these  placed  them- 
selves in  front,  two  behind,  and  three  on  each  side 
of  us — the  first  armed  with  muskets,  the  others  with 
slicks  and  knotted  cords.  They  were  such  a  ras- 
cally-looking set,  that  when  I  think  of  them  I  bless 
the  ship  that  brought  me  back  to  Europe. 

The  interpreter  asked  what  we  wished  to  see. 
"  All  Fez  "  was  the  answer. 

We  directed  our  steps  first  toward  the  centre  of 
the  city.  Here  I  ought  to  exclaim,  "  Chi  mi  dara 
la  voce  e  le  parole  /  "  '  How  shall  I  express  the  won- 

"  Oh,  for  a  voice  and  words  !  " 


FEZ.  201 

der,  the  pity,  the  sadness  that  overcame  me  at  that 
grand  and  dismal  spectacle  ?  The  first  impression 
is  that  of  an  immense  city  fallen  into  decrepitude 
and  slowly  decaying.  Tall  houses,  which  seemed 
formed  of  houses  piled  one  upon  the  other,  all  fall- 
ing to  pieces,  cracked  from  roof  to  base,  propped  up 
on  every  side,  with  no  opening  save  some  loophole 
in  the  shape  of  a  cross  ;  long  stretches  of  street, 
flanked  by  two  high  bare  walls  like  the  walls  of  a 
fortress;  streets  running  up  hill  and  down,  encum- 
bered with  stones  and  the  ruins  of  fallen  buildings, 
twisting  and  turning  at  every  thirty  paces  ;  every 
now  and  then  a  long  covered  passage,  dark  as  a  cel- 
lar, where  you  have  to  feel  your  way  ;  blind  alleys, 
recesses,  dens  full  of  bones,  dead  animals,  and  heaps 
of  putrid  matter — the  whole  steeped  in  a  dim  and 
melancholy  twilight.  In  some  places  the  ground  is 
so  broken,  the  dust  so  thick,  the  smell  so  horrible, 
the  flies  are  so  numerous,  that  we  have  to  stop  to 
take  breath.  In  half  an  hour  we  have  made  so  many 
turns  that  if  our  road  could  be  drawn  it  would  form 
an  arabesque  as  intricate  as  any  in  the  Alhambra. 
Here  and  there  we  hear  the  noise  of  a  mill,  a  mur- 
mur of  water,  the  click  of  a  weaver's  loom,  a  chant- 
ing of  nasal  voices,  which  we  are  told  come  from  a 
school  of  children  ;  but  we  see  nothing  and  no  one 
anywhere.  We  approach  the  centre  of  the  city  ; 
people  become  more  numerous  ;  the  men  stop  to 
let  us  pass,  and  stare  astonished  ;  the  women  turn 
back,  or  hide  themselves  ;  the  children  scream  and 


2O2  MOROCCO. 

run  ;  the  larger  boys  growl  and  shake  their  fists  at 
a  distance,  mindful  of  the  soldiers  and  their  sticks. 
We  see  fountains  richly  ornamented  with  mosaics, 
arabesque  doors,  arched  courts,  some  few  remains 
of  Arab  architecture  in  decay.  Every  moment  we 
find  ourselves  in  darkness,  entering  one  of  the  many 
covered  passages.  We  come  to  one  of  the  principal 
streets,  about  six  feet  wide,  and  full  of  people,  who 
crowd  about  us.  The  soldiers  shout,  and  push,  and 
strike  in  vain,  and  at  last  make  a  sort  of  bulwark  of 
their  bodies  by  forming  a  circle  around  us  and  clasp- 
ing hands,  face  outward.  There  are  a  thousand  eyes 
upon  us  ;  we  can  scarcely  breathe  in  the  press  and 
heat,  and  move  slowly  on,  stopping  every  moment 
to  give  passage  to  a  Moor  on  horseback,  or  a  veiled 
lady  on  a  camel,  or  an  ass  with  a  load  of  bleeding 
sheep's  heads.  To  the  right  and  left  are  crowded 
bazaars  ;  inn  court-yards  encumbered  with  merchan- 
dise ;  doors  of  mosques,  through  which  we  catch 
glimpses  of  arcades  in  perspective,  and  figures  pros- 
trate in  prayer.  All  along  the  street  there  is  nothing 
to  be  seen  but  silent  forms  in  white  hoods,  moving 
like  spectres.  The  air  is  impregnated  with  an  acute 
and  mingled  odor  of  aloes,  spices,  incense,  and  kif ; 
we  seem  to  be  walking  in  an  immense  drug-shop. 
Groups  of  boys  go  by  with  scarred  and  scabby 
heads  ;  horrible  old  women,  perfectly  bald  and  with 
naked  breasts,  making  their  way  by  dint  of  furious 
imprecation :  against  us  ;  naked,  or  almost  naked,  mad- 
men, crowned  with  flowers  and  feathers,  bearing  a 


SHOE  SHOP,  J-'KZ. 


FEZ.  203 

branch  in  their  hands,  laughing  and  singing  and  cut- 
ting capers  before  the  soldiers,  who  drive  them  away 
with  blows.  Turning  into  another  street,  we  meet 
a  saint,  an  enormously  fat  old  fellow,  as  naked  as  he 
was  born,  leaning  upon  a  lance  bound  with  strips  of 
red  cloth.  He  squints  at  us,  and  mutters  something 
as  we  pass.  Further  on  come  four  soldiers  dragging 
along  some  poor  unfortunate,  all  bleeding  and  torn, 
who  has  been  taken  in  the  act  of  thieving  ;  and  after 
them  come  a  troop  of  boys  calling  out,  "Cut  off  his 
hand  !  cut  off  his  hand!  "  Next  come  two  men  car- 
rying an  uncovered  bier,  upon  which  is  stretched  a 
corpse,  dry  as  a  mummy,  wrapped  in  a  white  linen 
sack  tied  round  the  neck,  waist,  and  knees.  I  ask 
myself  where  I  am,  and  whether  I  am  awake  or 
asleep,  and  whether  Fez  and  Paris  are  in  the  same 
planet !  We  go  into  the  bazaar.  The  crowd  is 
everywhere.  The  shops,  as  in  Tangiers,  are  mere 
dens  opened  in  the  wall.  The  money-changers  are 
seated  on  the  ground,  with  heaps  of  black  coin  be- 
fore them.  We  cross,  jostled  by  the  crowd,  the 
cloth-bazaar,  that  of  slippers,  that  of  earthenware, 
that  of  metal  ornaments,  which  all  together  form  a 
labyrinth  of  alleys  roofed  with  canes  and  branches 
of  trees.  Passing  through  a  vegetable  market, 
thronged  with  women  who  lift  their  arms  and  scream 
curses  at  us,  we  come  out  into  the  centre  of  the  city. 
There  it  is  the  same  experience  as  before,  and  we 
finally  get  out  at  a  gate,  and  take  a  turn  outside  the 
walls. 


2O4  MOROCCO. 

The  city  stands  in  the  form  of  a  monstrous  figure 
of  eight  between  two  hills,  upon  which  still  tower 
the  ruins  of  two  ancient  fortifications.  Beyond  the 
hills  there  is  a  chain  of  mountains.  The  Pearl 
River  divides  the  town  in  two — modern  Fez  on  the 
left  bank,  ancient  Fez  on  the  right — and  a  girdle  of 
old  castellated  walls  and  towers,  dark  and  falling 
into  ruin,  binds  the  whole  together.  From  the 
heights  the  eye  takes  in  the  whole  city — a  myriad 
of  white,  flat-roofed  houses,  among  which  rise  tall 
minarets  ornamented  with  mosaics,  gigantic  palm- 
trees,  tufts  of  verdure,  green  domes,  and  castellated 
towers.  The  grandeur  of  the  ancient  city  can  be 
divined  from  what  is  left,  though  it  is  but  a  skeleton. 
Near  the  gates,  and  upon  the  hills  for  a  long  dis- 
tance, the  country  is  covered  with  monuments  and 
ruins,  tombs  and  houses  of  saints,  arches  of  aque- 
ducts, sepulchres,  zanie,  and  foundations  that  seem 
like  the  remains  of  a  city  destroyed  by  cannon  and 
devoured  by  flames.  Between  the  wall  and  the 
highest  of  the  two  hills  that  flank  the  city  it  is  all 
one  garden,  a  thick  and  intricate  grove  of  mulberry- 
trees,  olives,  palms,  fruit-trees,  and  tall  poplars, 
clothed  with  ivy  and  grape-vines ;  little  streams 
run  through  it,  fountains  gush  and  sparkle,  and 
canals  intersect  it  between  high  green  banks.  The 
opposite  bank  is  crowned  with  aloes  twice  the 
height  of  a  man.  Along  the  walls  are  great  fissures 
and  deep  ditches  filled  with  vegetation,  rude  re- 
mains of  bastions  and  broken  towers, — a  grand  and 


FEZ.  205 

severe  disorder  of  ruin  and  greenery,  recalling  the 
more  picturesque  parts  of  the  walls  of  Constanti- 
nople. We  passed  by  the  Gate  of  Ghisa,  the  Iron 
Gate,  the  Gate  of  the  Padre  delle  Cuoia,  the  New  Gate, 
the  Burned  Gate,  the  Gate  that  Opens,  the  Gate  of 
Lions,  the  Gate  of  Sidi  Busida,  the  Gate  of  the  Father 
of  Utility,  and  re-entered  new  Fez  by  the  Gate  of 
the  Niche  of  Butter.  Here  are  large  gardens,  vast 
open  spaces,  large  squares,  surrounded  by  battle- 
mented  walls,  beyond  which  can  be  seen  other 
squares  and  other  walls,  arched  gate-ways  and 
towers,  and  beautiful  prospects  of  hills  and  moun- 
tains. Some  of  the  doors  are  very  lofty,  and  are 
covered  with  iron  plates  studded  with  large  nails. 
Approaching  the  Pearl  River,  we  come  upon  the 
decaying  carcase  of  a  horse,  lying  in  the  middle  of 
the  street.  Along  the  wall  about  a  hundred  Arabs 
are  washing  and  jumping  upon  the  linen  piled  upon 
the  shore.  We  meet  patrols  of  soldiers,  personages 
of  the  court  on  horseback,  small  caravans  of  camels, 
groups  of  women  from  the  country  with  their  chil- 
dren tied  on  their  backs,  who  cover  their  faces  at 
our  approach.  And  at  last  we  see  some  faces  that 
smile  upon  us.  We  enter  the  Mella,  the  Hebrew 
quarter, — truly  a  triumphal  entrance.  They  run  to 
their  windows  and  terraces,  down  into  the  street, 
calling  to  one  another.  The  men,  with  long  hair 
covered  by  a  handkerchief  tied  under  the  chin  like 
women,  bow  with  ceremonious  smiles.  The  wom- 
en, comely  and  plump,  dressed  in  red  and  green 


206  MOROCCO. 

garments  embroidered  and  braided  with  gold,  wish 
us  buenos  dias,  and  say  a  thousand  charming  things 
with  their  brilliant  dark  eyes.  Some  of  the  children 
come  and  kiss  our  hands.  To  escape  from  this 
ovation,  and  from  the  filth  of  the  streets,  we  take  a 
cross  street,  and  passing  through  the  Jewish  ceme- 
tery, get  back  at  last  to  the  palace  of  the  embassy, 
tired  out  and  with  bewildered  minds. 

"O  Fez!"  says  an  Arabian  historian,  "all  the 
beauty  of  the  earth  is  concentrated  in  thee !  "  He 
adds  that  Fez  has  always  been  the  seat  of  wisdom, 
science,  peace,  and  religion  ;  the  mother  and  the 
queen  of  all  the  cities  of  the  Magreb  ;  that  its  in- 
habitants have  a  finer  and  deeper  intelligence  than 
that  of  the  other  inhabitants  of  Morocco  ;  that  all 
that  is  in  it  and  around  it  is  blessed  of  God,  even  to 
the  waters  of  the  Pearl  River,  which  cure  the  stone, 
soften  the  skin,  perfume  the  clothes,  destroy  insects, 
render  sweeter  (if  drunk  fasting)  the  pleasures  of 
the  senses,  and  contain  precious  stones  of  inesti- 
mable value.  Not  less  poetically  is  related  by  the 
Arabian  writers  the  story  of  the  foundation  of  Fez. 
When  the  Abassidi,  toward  the  end  of  the  eighth 
century,  were  divided  into  two  factions,  one  of  the 
princes  of  the  vanquished  faction,  Edris-ebn-Abdal- 
lah,  took  refuge  in  the  Magreb,  a  short  distance 
from  the  place  where  Fez  now  stands  ;  and  here  he 
lived  in  solitude,  in  prayer  and  meditation,  until,  by 
reason  of  his  illustrious  origin,  as  well  as  because  of 
his  holy  life,  having  acquired  great  fame  among  the 


FEZ.  207 

Berbers  of  that  region,  they  elected  him  their  chief. 
Gradually,  by  his  arms,  and  by  his  high  authority  as 
a  descendant  of  Ali  and  Fatima,  he  extended  his 
sovereignty  over  a  large  extent  of  country,  convert- 
ing by  force  to  Islamism  idolaters,  Christians,  and 
Hebrews ;  and  reached  such  a  height  of  power  that 
the  Caliph  of  the  East,  Haroun-el-Reschid,  jealous 
of  his  fame,  caused  him  to  be  poisoned  by  a  pre- 
tended physician,  in  order  to  destroy  with  him  his 
growing  empire.  But  the  Berbers  gave  solemn 
sepulture  to  Edris,  and  recognized  as  Caliph  his 
posthumous  son,  Edris-ebn-Edris,  who  ascended  the 
throne  at  twelve  years  of  age,  consolidated  and  ex- 
tended his  father's  work,  and  may  be  said  to  have 
been  the  true  founder  of  the  empire  of  Morocco, 
which  remained  until  the  end  of  the  tenth  century 
in  the  hands  of  his  dynasty.  It  was  this  same  Edris 
who  laid  the  foundation  of  Fez,  on  the  3d  of  Feb- 
ruary of  the  year  808,  "  in  a  valley  placed  between 
two  high  hills  covered  with  rich  groves,  and  irrigated 
by  a  thousand  streams,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
River  of  Pearls." 

Tradition  explains  in  several  ways  the  origin  of 
the  name.  In  digging  for  the  foundations,  they 
found  in  the  earth  a  great  hatchet  (called  in  Arabic 
Fez],  which  weighed  sixty  pounds,  and  this  gave  its 
name  to  the  city. 

Edris  himself,  says  another  legend,  worked  at  the 
foundations  among  his  laborers,  who,  in  gratitude, 
offered  him  a  hatchet  made  of  gold  and  silver  ;  and 


208  MOROCCO. 

he  chose  to  perpetuate,  in  the  name  of  the  city,  the 
memory  of  their  homage.  According  to  another 
account,  the  secretary  of  Edris  had  asked  one  day 
of  his  lord  what  name  he  meant  to  give  the  city. 
"  The  name,"  answered  the  prince,  "  of  the  first 
person  we  shall  meet."  A  man  passed  by,  who, 
being  questioned,  said  his  name  was  Fares  ;  but  he 
stammered  and  pronounced  it  Fez.  Another  ac- 
count says  that  there  was  an  ancient  city  called  Zef, 
on  the  Pearl  River,  which  existed  eighteen  hundred 
years,  and  was  destroyed  before  Islam  shone  upon 
the  world  ;  and  Edris  imposed  upon  his  metropolis 
the  name  of  the  old  city  reversed.  However  it 
may  be,  the  new  city  grew  rapidly,  and  already  at 
the  beginning  of  the  tenth  century  rivalled  Bagdad 
in  splendor  ;  held  within  its  walls  the  mosque  of 
El-Caruin  and  that  of  Edris,  still  existant,  one  the 
largest  and  the  other  the  most  venerated  in  Africa  ; 
and  was  called  the  Mecca  of  the  West.  Toward 
the  middle  of  the  eleventh  century  Gregory  IX 
established  there  a  bishopric.  Under  the  dynasty 
of  the  Almoadi  it  had  thirty  suburbs,  eight  hundred 
mosques,  ninety  thousand  houses,  ten  thousand 
shops,  eighty-six  gates,  vast  hospitals,  magnificent 
baths,  a  great  and  rich  library  of  precious  manu- 
scripts in  Greek  and  Latin  ;  also  schools  of  philos- 
ophy, of  physics,  of  astronomy,  and  languages,  to 
which  came  all  the  learned  and  lettered  men  of 
Europe  and  the  Levant.  It  was  called  the  Athens 
of  Africa,  and  was  at  one  time  the  seat  of  a  per- 


FEZ.  209 

petual  fair,  into  which  flowed  the  products  of  three 
continents  ;  and  European  commerce  had  there  its 
bazaar  and  its  inns  ;  and  there — between  Moors, 
Arabs,  Berbers,  Jews,  Negroes,  Turks,  Christians, 
and  renegades — five  hundred  thousand  people  lived 
and  prospered.  And  now,  what  a  change  !  Almost 
all  traces  of  gardens  have  vanished  ;  the  greater 
part  of  the  mosques  are  in  ruins  ;  of  the  great  li- 
brary, only  a  few  worm-eaten  volumes  remain  ;  the 
schools  are  dead  ;  commerce  languishes  ;  its  edifices 
are  falling  into  ruin  ;  and  the  population  is  reduced 
to  less  than  a  fifth  of  the  former  number.  Fez  is  no 
more  than  an  enormous  carcase  of  a  metropolis 
abandoned  in  the  midst  of  the  vast  cemetery  called 
Morocco. 

Our  greatest  desire,  after  our  first  walk  about 
Fez,  was  to  visit  the  two  famous  mosques  of  El- 
Caruin  and  Muley-Edris  ;  but  as  Christians  are  not 
permitted  to  put  a  foot  in  them,  we  were  obliged  to 
content  ourselves  with  what  we  could  see  from  the 
street  :  the  Mosaic  doors,  the  arched  courts,  the 
long  low  aisles,  divided  by  a  forest  of  columns,  and 
lighted  by  a  dim,  mysterious  light.  It  must  not  be 
imagined,  however,  that  these  mosques  are  now 
what  they  were  in  the  time  of  their  fame  ;  since, 
already  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the  celebrated  his- 
torian Abd-er-Rhaman-ebn-Kaldun,  describing  that 
of  El-Caruin  (may  God  exalt  it  more  and  more,  as 
he  says),  speaks  of  various  ornaments  that  were  no 
longer  in  existence  in  his  time.  The  first  founda- 


210  MOROCCO. 

tions  of  this  enormous  mosque  were  laid  on  the  first 
Saturday  of  Ramadan,  in  the  year  869  of  Jesus 
Christ,  at  the  expense  of  a  pious  woman  of  Kairuan. 
It  was  at  the  beginning  a  small  mosque  of  four 
naves  ;  but,  little  by  little,  governors,  emirs,  and 
sultans  embellished  and  enlarged  it.  Upon  the 
point  of  the  minaret  built  by  the  Imaum  Ahmed 
ben  Aby-Beker  glittered  a  golden  ball  studded  with 
pearls  and  precious  stones,  on  which  was  repre- 
sented the  sword  of  Edris-ebn-Edris,  the  founder  of 
Fez.  On  the  interior  walls  were  suspended  talis- 
mans which  protected  the  mosque  against  rats,  scor- 
pions, and  serpents,  The  Mirab,  or  niche  turned 
toward  Mecca,  was  so  splendid  that  the  Imaum  had 
it  paint  id  white,  that  it  might  no  longer  distract  the 
faithful  from  their  prayers.  There  was  a  pulpit  of 
ebony,  inlaid  with  ivory  and  gems.  There  were 
two  hundred  and  seventy  columns,  forming  sixteen 
naves  of  twenty- one  arches  in  each,  fifteen  great 
doors  of  entrance  for  the  men,  and  two  small  ones 
for  the  women,  and  seventeen  hundred  hanging 
lamps,  which,  in  the  season  of  Ramadan,  consumed 
three  quintals  and  a  half  of  oil.  All  which  particu- 
lars the  historian  Kaldun  relates  with  exclamations 
of  wonder  and  delight,  adding  that  the  mosque  could 
contain  twenty-two  thousand  and  seven  hundred 
persons,  and  that  the  court  alone  had  in  its  pave- 
ment fifty-two  thousand  bricks.  "  Glory  to  Allah, 
Lord  of  the  world,  immensely  merciful,  and  king  of 
the  day  of  the  last  judgment !  " 


FEZ.  2  1 1 

Expecting  that  the  Sultan  would  fix  a  day  for  the 
solemn  reception  of  the  embassy,  we  took  several 
turns  about  the  city,  in  one  of  which  I  had  an  en- 
tirely new  sensation.  We  were  approaching  the 
Burned  Gate,  Bab-el- Maroc,  to  re-enter  the  city, 
when  the  vice-consul. made  an  exclamation — "Two 
heads ! "  Lifting  my  eyes  far  enough  along  the 
wall  to  see  two  long  streams  of  blood,  my  courage 
failed  me  to  see  more.  But  I  was  told  that  the  two 
heads  were  suspended  by  the  hair  over  the  gate  ; 
one  appeared  to  be  that  of  a  boy  of  not  more  than 
fifteen,  and  the  other  a  man  of  twenty-five  or  thirty ; 
both  Moors.  We  learned  afterward  that  they 
were  heads  of  rebels  from  the  confines  of  Algeria, 
which  had  been  brought  to  Fez  the  day  before  ;  but 
the  fresh  blood  made  it  probable  that  they  had  been 
cut  off  in  the  city,  perhaps  before  that  very  gate. 
However  that  may  be,  we  were  informed  on  this 
same  occasion  that  heads  of  rebels  are  always 
brought  and  presented  to  the  Sultan ;  after  which 
the  imperial  soldiers  catch  the  first  Jew  whom  they 
happen  to  encounter,  and  make  him  take  out  the 
brain,  fill  the  skull  with  tow  and  salt,  and  hang  it 
over  one  of  the  city  gates.  It  is  removed  from  one 
gate  to  another,  and  from  one  town  to  another,  until 
it  is  destroyed.  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that 
this  was  done  with  the  two  heads  of  Bab-el- Maroc, 
for  a  day  or  two  after,  asking  an  Arab  servant  what 
had  become  of  them,  he  answered  with  a  gesture, 
"  Buried,"  and  then  hastened  to  add,  by  way  of  con- 
solation, "  But  there  are  plenty  more  coming." 


2 1 2  MOROCCO. 

Two  days  before  the  solemn  reception,  we  were 
invited  to  breakfast  by  Sid-Moussa. 

Sid-Moussa  has  no  title  ;  he  is  simply  called  Sid- 
Moussa  ;  he  was  born  a  slave,  and  emancipated  by 
the  Sultan,  who  can  to-morrow  despoil  him  of  all 
his  property,  cast  him  into  prison,  or  hang  his  head 
over  the  gate  of  Fez,  without  being  called  to  account 
for  it.  But  he  is  the  minister  of  ministers,  the  soul 
of  the  government,  the  mind  which  embraces  and 
moves  all  things  all  over  the  empire,  and,  after  the 
Sultan,  the  most  famous  man  in  Morocco.  Our 
curiosity  may  be  imagined,  therefore,  on  the  morn- 
ing when,  surrounded  as  usual  by  an  armed  guard, 
accompanied  by  the  caid  and  interpreters,  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  tail  of  people,  we  went  to  his  house  in 
new  Fez. 

We  were  received  at  the  door  by  a  crowd  of 
Arabs  and  blacks,  and  entered  a  garden  enclosed 
by  high  walls,  at  the  end  of  which,  under  a  little 
portico,  stood  Sid-Moussa,  dressed  all  in  white,  and 
surrounded  by  his  officials. 

The  famous  minister  gave  both  hands  with  much 
heartiness  to  the  Ambassador,  bowed  smilingly  to 
us,  and  preceded  us  into  a  small  room  on  the 
ground-floor,  where  we  sat  down. 

What  a  strange  figure !  A  man  of  about  sixty,  a 
dark  mulatto,  of  middle  height,  with  an  immense 
oblong  head,  two  fiery  eyes  of  a  most  astute  expres- 
sion, a  great  flat  nose,  a  monstrous  mouth,  two  rows 
of  big  teeth,  and  an  immeasurable  chin ;  yet  in  spite 


FEZ,  2  I  3 

of  these  hideous  features,  an  affable  smile,  an  ex- 
pression of  benignity,  and  voice  and  manners  of  the 
utmost  courtesy.  But  there  are  no  people  more 
deceptive  in  their  aspect  than  the  Moors.  Not  into 
the  soul,  but  into  the  brain  of  that  man  would  I 
have  liked  to  peep!  Certainly  I  should  have  found 
no  great  erudition.  Perhaps  no  more  than  a  few 
pages  of  the  Koran,  some  periods  of  the  imperial 
history,  some  vague  geographical  notions  of  the  first 
States  of  Europe,  some  idea  of  astronomy,  some 
rules  of  arithmetic.  But  instead,  what  profound 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  what  quickness  of 
perception,  what  subtlety  of  craft,  what  intricate 
plottings  and  contrivings  far  from  our  own  habits  of 
mind,  what  curious  secrets  of  government,  and  who 
knows  what  strange  medley  of  memories  of  loves, 
and  sufferings,  and  intrigues,  and  vicissitudes !  The 
chamber,  for  a  Moorish  room,  was  sumptuously  fur- 
nished, for  it  contained  a  small  sofa,  a  table,  a  mir- 
ror, and  a  few  chairs.  The  walls  were  hung  with 
red  and  green  carpets,  the  ceiling  painted,  the  pave- 
ment in  mosaic.  Nothing  extraordinary,  however, 
for  the  house  of  a  rich  personage  like  Sid-Moussa. 

After  an  exchange  of  the  usual  compliments,  we 
were  conducted  into  the  dining-room,  which  was  on 
the  other  side  of  the  garden. 

Sid-Moussa,  according  to  custom,  did  not  come 
with  us.  The  dining-room  was  hung,  like  the 
other,  with  red  and  green  carpets.  In  one  corner 
was  an  armoire,  with  its  two  old  bunches  of  artificial 


214  MOROCCO. 

flowers  under  glass  shades  ;  and  near  it  one  of 
those  little  mirrors  with  a  frame  painted  with  flowers 
that  are  found  in  every  village  inn.  On  the  table 
there  were  about  twenty  dishes  containing  big  white 
sugar-plums  in  the  form  of  balls  and  carobs  ;  the 
silver  and  china  very  elegant ;  numerous  bottles  of 
water  ;  and  not  a  drop  of  wine.  We  seated  our- 
selves, and  were  served  at  once.  Twenty-eight 
dishes,  without  counting  the  sweets  !  Twenty-eight 
enormous  dishes,  every  one  of  which  would  have 
been  enough  for  twenty  people,  of  all  forms,  odors, 
and  flavors  ;  monstrous  pieces  of  mutton  on  the 
spit,  chickens  (with  pomatum),  game  (with  cold 
cream),  fish  (with  cosmetics),  livers,  puddings,  vege- 
tables, eggs,  salads,  all  with  the  same  dreadful  com- 
binations suggestive  of  the  barber's  shop  ;  sweet- 
meats, every  mouthful  of  which  was  enough  to 
purge  a  man  of  any  crime  he  had  ever  committed  ; 
and  with  all  this,  large  glasses  of  water,  into  which 
we  squeezed  lemons  that  we  had  brought  in  our 
pockets  ;  then  a  cup  of  tea  sweetened  to  syrup  ; 
and  finally  an  irruption  of  servants,  who  deluged 
the  table,  the  walls,  and  ourselves  with  rose-water. 
Such  was  the  breakfast  of  Sid-Moussa. 

When  we  rose  from  table,  there  entered  an  of- 
ficial to  announce  to  the  Ambassador  that  Sid- 
Moussa  was  at  prayers,  and  that  as  soon  as  he  had 
finished  he  would  have  great  pleasure  in  conferring 
with  him.  Immediately  after  there  came  in  a  totter- 
ing old  man,  supported  between  two  Moors,  who 


FEZ.  2  I  5 

seized  the  Ambassador's  hands  and  pressed  them 
with  great  energy,  exclaiming  with  emotion,  "  Wel- 
come !  welcome !  Welcome  to  the  Ambassador  of 
the  King  of  Italy !  Welcome  among  us !  It  is  a 
great  day  for  us !  " 

He  was  the  grand  Scherif  Bacali,  one  of  the 
most  powerful  personages  of  the  court,  and  one  of 
the  richest  proprietors  of  the  empire,  confidant  of 
the  Sultan,  possessor  of  many  wives,  and  a  two 
years'  invalid  from  dyspepsia.  We  wore  told  that 
he  relieved  the  ennui  of  his  lord  with  witty  words 
and  comic  action  ;  a  thing  which  would  certainly 
never  have  been  guessed  from  his  ferocious  face 
and  impetuous  gesture.  After  him  appeared  the  two 
sons  of  Sid-Moussa,  one  of  whom  made  his  obei- 
sance and  vanished  immediately  ;  the  other  was  an 
extremely  handsome  young  man  of  twenty-five, 
private  secretary  to  the  Sultan  :  with  the  face  of  a 
woman,  and  two  large  brown  eyes  of  indescribable 
softness ;  gay,  graceful,  and  nervous,  continually 
pulling  with  his  hand  at  the  folds  of  his  ample 
orange-colored  caftan. 

Bacali  and  the  Ambassador  having  gone  out,  we 
remained,  with  some  officials  seated  on  the  floor, 
and  the  Sultan's  secretary  on  a  chair,  in  honor  of  us. 

He  immediately  began  a  conversation  through 
Mohammed  Ducali.  Fixing  his  eyes  on  Ussi,  he 
asked  who  he  was. 

"  It  is  Signor  Ussi,"  answered  Ducali ;  "  a  dis- 
tinguished painter." 


2l6  MOROCCO. 

"  Does  he  paint  with  the  machine  ?  "  asked  the 
young  man.  He  meant  the  photographic  instru- 
ment. 

"  No,  Signore,"  replied  the  interpreter ;  "  he 
paints  with  his  hand." 

He  seemed  to  say  to  himself,  "  What  a  pity !  " 
and  remained  a  moment  thoughtful.  Then  he  said, 
"  I  asked,  because  with  the  machine  the  work  is 
more  precise." 

The  commandant  begged  Ducali  to  ask  him 
whereabouts  in  Fez  was  the  fountain  called  Ghalu, 
after  a  robber  whom  Edris,  the  founder  of  the  city, 
had  caused  to  be  nailed  to  a  tree  near  by.  The 
young  secretary  was  excessively  astonished  that  the 
commandant  should  know  this  particular  story,  and 
asked  how  he  came  to  know  it. 

"  I  read  it  in  Kaldun's  history,"  answered  the 
commandant. 

"  In  Kaldun's  history !  "  exclaimed  the  other. 
''•Have  you  read  Kaldun?  Then  you  understand 
Arabic  ?  And  where  did  you  find  Kaldun's 
history  ?  " 

The  commandant  replied  that  the  book  was  to  be 
found  in  all  our  cities  ;  that  it  was  perfectly  well 
known  in  Europe,  and  that  it  had  been  translated 
into  English,  French,  and  German. 

"  Really !  "  exclaimed  the  ingenuous  young  fellow. 
"  You  have  all  read  it !  and  you  know  all  these 
things  !  *  I  never  should  have  imagined  it !  " 

Gradually  the  conversation  became  general,  the 


MOOK  OF  FEZ. 


FEZ.  2  I  7 

officials  also  joining  in  it,  and  we  heard  some  singu- 
lar things.  The  English  Ambassador  ^d  presented 
to  the  Sultan  two  telegraphic  machines,  and  had 
taught  some  of  the  court  people  how  to  use  them  ; 
and  they  were  used,  not  publicly,  because  the  sight 
of  those  mysterious  wires  in  the  city  would  cause 
disturbance,  but  in  the  interior  of  the  palace;  and 
words  could  not  express  the  astonishment  they  ex- 
cited. Not,  however,  to  the  point  that  we  might 
suppose,  because,  from  what  they  had  first  heard, 
they  all,  including  the  Sultan,  had  conceived  a  much 
more  wonderful  idea  of  it;  for  they  believed  that 
the  transmission  of  the  thought  was  not  effected  by 
means  of  letters  and  words,  but  at  once,  instan- 
taneously, so  that  a  touch  was  sufficient  to  express 
and  transmit  any  speech.  They  recognized,  how- 
ever, that  the  instrument  was  ingenious  and  might 
be  very  useful  in  our  countries  where  there  were 
many  people  and  much  traffic,  and  where  every 
thing  had  to  be  done  in  a  hurry.  All  of  which  sig- 
nified in  plain  words  :  what  should  we  do  with  a 
telegraph  ?  And  to  what  would  the  policy  of  our 
government  be  reduced  if  to  the  demands  of  the 
representatives  of  European  States  we  were  obliged 
to  reply  at  once  and  in  few  words,  and  renounce 
the  great  excuse  of  delays,  and  the  eternal  pretext 
of  lost  letters,  thanks  to  which  we  can  protract  for 
two  months,  questions  that  could  be  answered  in 
two  days?  We  learnecf  also,  or  rather  we  were 
given  to  understand,  that  the  Sultan  is  a  man  of  a 


2 1 8  MOROCCO. 

mild  disposition  and  a  kind  heart,  who  lives  austere- 
ly, who  loves  one  woman  only,  who  eats  without  a 
fork,  like  all  his  subjects,  and  seated  on  the  floor, 
but  with  the  dishes  placed  upon  a  little  gilded  table 
about  a  foot  high  ;  that  before  coming  to  the  throne 
he  drilled  with  the  soldiers,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
active  among  them ;  that  he  likes  to  work,  and 
often  does  himself  what  ought  to  be  done  by  his 
servants,  even  to  packing  his  own  things  when  he 
goes  away  ;  and  that  the  people  love  him,  but  also 
fear  him,  because  they  know  that  should  a  great 
revolt  break  out,  he  would  be  the  first  to  spring  on 
horseback  and  draw  his  sabre  against  the  rebels. 

But  with  what  grace  they  told  us  all  these  things ! 
with  what  smiles  and  elegant  gestures  !  What  a 
pity  not  to  be  able  to  understand  their  language,  all 
color  and  imagery,  and  read  and  search  at  will  in 
the  ingenuous  ignorance  of  their  minds  ! 

In  about  two  hours'  time  the  Ambassador  came 
back,  with  Sid-Moussa,  the  grand  Scherif,  and  the 
officials  ;  and  there  was  such  an  interchange  of 
hand-pressings,  and  smiles,  and  bows,  and  saluta- 
tions, that  we  seemed  to  be  engaged  in  some  dance 
of  ceremony  ;  and  finally  we  departed  between  two 
long  rows  of  astonished  servants.  As -we  went  out 
we  saw  at  a  large  grated  window  on  the  ground- 
floor  about  ten  faces  of  women,  black,  white,  and 
mulatto,  all  be-jewelled  and  be-diademed  ;  who,  be- 
holding us,  instantly  vanished  with  a  great  noise  of 
flapping  slippers  and  trailing  skirts. 


FEZ.  219 

From  the  first  day  of  our  journey,  the  Sultan, 
Muley-el- Hassan,  was,  as  may  be  imagined,  the 
principal  object  of  our  curiosity.  It  was,  then,  a  fes- 
tival for  us  all  when  at  last  the  Ambassador  an- 
nounced the  reception  for  the  following  morning. 
I  never  in  my  life  unfolded  my  dress-coat,  or  touched 
the  spring  of  my  gibus,  with  more  profound  com- 
placency than  on  this  occasion. 

This  great  curiosity  was  produced,  in  part,  by  the 
history  of  his  dynasty.  There  was  the  wish  to  look 
in  the  face  of  one  of  that  terrible  family  of  the 
Scherifs  Fileli,  to  whom  history  assigns  pre- 
eminence in  fanaticism,  ferocity,  and  crime,  over  all 
the  dynasties  that  have  ever  reigned  in  Morocco. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  some 
inhabitants  of  Tafilet,  a  province  of  the  empire  on 
the  confines  of  the  desert,  the  Scherifs  of  which 
take  the.  name  of  Fileli,  brought  from  Mecca  into 
their  country  a  Scherif  named  Ali,  a  native  of 
Jambo,  and  a  descendant  of  Mahomet,  by  Hassen, 
the  second  son  of  Ali  and  Fatima.  The  climate  of 
the  province  of  Tafilet,  a  little  after  his  arrival, 
resumed  a  mildness  that  it  had  for  some  time  lost ; 
dates  grew  in  great  abundance ;  the  merit  was 
attributed  to  Ali  ;  Ali  was  elected  king  under  the 
name  of  Muley-Scherif ;  his  descendants  gradually, 
by  their  arms,  extended  the  kingdom  of  their  an- 
cestor ;  they  took  possession  of  Morocco  and  Fez, 
drove  out  the  dynasty  of  the  Saadini  Scherifs,  and 
have  reigned  up  to  our  day  over  the  whole  country 


220  MOROCCO. 

comprised    between    the    Muluia,    the    desert,    and 
the   sea.       Sidi-Mohammed,  son  of  Muley-Scherif, 
reigned    with    wise    clemency  ;   but   after   him    the 
throne  was  steeped  in  blood.     El  Reschid  governed 
by  terror,  usurped  the   office   of  executioner,  and 
lacerated  with  his  own  hands  the  breasts  of  women, 
in  order  to  force  them  to  reveal  the  hiding-places  of 
their  husbands'  treasure.     Muley-Ismail,  the  luxuri- 
ous   prince,    the   lover    of  eight  thousand    women, 
and    father    of  twelve    hundred  sons,    the  founder 
of  the  famous  corps   of  black  guards,  the  gallant 
Sultan   who  asked  in  marriage  of  Louis  XIV  the 
daughter  of  the  Duchess  de  la  Valliere,  and  stuck 
ten  thousand  heads  over  the  battlements  of  Morocco 
and  Fez.     Muley  Ahmed  el  Dehebi,  avaricious  and 
a  debauchee,  stole  the  jewels  of  his  father's  women, 
stupefied  himself  with  wine,  pulled  out  the  teeth  of 
his  own  wives,  and  cut  off  the  head  of  a  slave  who 
had  pressed  the  tobacco  too  much  down  into  his 
pipe.     Muley-Abdallah,  vanquished  by  the  Berbers, 
cut  the  throats   of  the  inhabitants  of  Mechinez  to 
satisfy  his  rage,  aided  the  executioner  in  decapitat- 
ing the  officers  of  his  brave  but  vanquished  army, 
and  invented  the  horrible  torture  of  cooking  a  man 
alive    inside    a   disembowelled   bull,    that    the    two 
might  putrify  together.     The  best  of  the  race  ap- 
pears to  have   been  Sidi-Mohammed,  his  son  who 
surrounded  himself  with  renegade  Christians,  tried 
to  live   at  peace,  and  brought   Morocco   nearer  to 
Europe.     Then  came  Muley- Yezid,  a  cruel  and  vio- 


FEZ.  221 

lent  fanatic,  who,  in  order  to  pay  his  soldiers,  gave 
them  leave  to  sack  and  pillage  the  Hebrew  quarters 
in  all  the  cities  of  the  empire  ;  Muley-Hescham, 
who,  after  a  reign  of  a  few  days,  went  into  sanctuary 
to  die  ;  Muley-Soliman,  who  destroyed  piracy,  and 
made  a  show  of  friendship  to  Europe,  but  with  art- 
ful cunning  separated  Morocco  from  all  civilized 
states,  and  caused  to  be  brought  to  the  foot  of  his 
throne  the  heads  of  all  renegade  Jews  from  whom 
had  escaped  a  word  of  regret  for  their  forced  abjura- 
tion ;  Abd-er-Raman,  the  conqueror  of  Isly,  who 
built  up  conspirators  alive  into  the  walls  of  Fez  ; 
and,  finally,  Sidi-Mohammed,  the  victor  of  Tetuan, 
who,  in  order  to  inculcate  respect  and  devotion  in 
his  people,  sent  the  heads  of  his  enemies  to  the 
diiars  and  cities,  stuck  upon  his  soldiers'  muskets. 
Nor  are  these  the  worst  calamities  that  afflicted  the 
empire  under  the  fatal  dynasty  of  the  Fileli.  There 
are  wars  with  Spain,  Portugal,  Holland,  England, 
France,  and  the  Turks  of  Algiers  ;  ferocious  insur- 
rections of  Berbers,  disastrous  expeditions  into  the 
Soudan,  revolts  of  fanatical  tribes,  mutinies  of  the 
black  guard,  persecutions  of  the  Christians  ;  furious 
wars  of  succession  between  father  and  son,  uncle 
and  nephew,  brother  and  brother  ;  the  empire  by 
turns  dismembered  and  rejoined  ;  sultans  five  times 
discrowned  and  five  times  reinstated  ;  unnatural  ven- 
geance of  princes  of  the  same  blood,  jealousies  and 
horrid  crimes  and  monstrous  suffering,  and  precipi- 
tate decline  into  antique  barbarism  ;  and  at  all  times 


^22  MOROCCO. 

one  principle  is  triumphant  :  that  not  being  able  to 
admit  European  civilization  unless  upon  the  ruins 
of  the  entire  political  and  religious  edifice  of  the 
Prophet,  ignorance  is  the  best  bulwark  of  the 
empire,  and  barbarism  an  element  necessary  to  its 
life. 

With  these  recollections  surrounding  him,  the 
Sultan  became  an  object  of  special  interest,  and  we 
were  impatient  to  appear  before  him. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  Ambassador, 
the  vice-consul,  Signor  Morteo,  the  commandant, 
and  the  captain,  dressed  in  their  best  uniforms, 
were  assembled  in  the  court-yard,  with  a  throng  of 
soldiers,  among  whom  the  caid  appeared  in  great 
pomp.  We — that  is  to  say,  the  two  artists,  the 
doctor,  and  myself,  all  four  appeared  in  dress-coats, 
gibus  hats,  and  white  cravats — dared  not  issue  from 
our  rooms  in  the  fear  that  our  strange  costume, 
perhaps  never  before  seen  in  Fez,  might  draw  upon 
us  the  laughter  of  the  public.  "  You  go  first. "- 
"No,  you." — "  No,  you," — thus  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  one  trying  to  push  the  other  out  at  the  door. 
Finally,  after  a  sage  observation  from  the  doctor 
that  union  made  strength,  we  all  came  out  together 
in  a  group,  with  our  heads  down  and  hats  pulled 
over  our  eyes.  Our  appearance  in  the  court-yard 
produced  amazement  among  the  soldiers  and  ser- 
vants of  the  palace,  some  of  whom  hid  themselves 
behind  the  pillars  to  laugh  at  their  ease.  But  it 
was  another  thing  in  the  city.  We  mounted  our 


FEZ.  223 

horses,  and  proceeded  toward  the  gate  of  the  Nic- 
chia  del  Burro,  with  a  company  of  the  red  division 
of  infantry  leading   the    way,  followed   by  all   the 
soldiers  of  the  Legation,  and  flanked  by  officials,  in- 
terpreters, masters  of  ceremony,  and  horsemen  of 
the  escort  of  Ben-Kasen-Buhammei.     It  was  a  fine 
spectacle,  that  mingling  of  tall  hats  and  white  tur- 
bans,  diplomatic    uniforms   and   red    caftans,  gold- 
mounted  swords  and  barbaric  sabres,  yellow  gloves 
and  black  hands,  gilded  pantaloons  and  bare  legs  ; 
and  the  figure  that  we  four  made,  in  evening  dress, 
mounted  on  mules,  upon  scarlet  saddles  as  high  as 
thrones,  covered  with  dust  and  perspiration,  may  be 
left  to  the   imagination.     The  streets  were  full  of 
people  ;    at  our  appearance   they  all   stopped  and 
formed  into  two  lines.     They  looked  at  the  plumed 
hat  of  the  Ambassador,  the  gold  cord  of  the  cap- 
tain, the   medals  of  the  commandant,  and  gave  no 
sign  of  wonder ;  but  when  we  four  passed  by,  who 
were  the  last,  there  was  an  opening  of  eyes  and  an 
exhilaration  of  countenance  that  was  truly  trying. 
Mohammed-Ducali   rode    near  us,  and  we  begged 
him  to   translate  for  us  some  of  the  observations 
which  he  caught  in  passing.     A  Moor  standing  with 
a  number  of  others  said  something  to  which  the  rest 
seemed   to   assent.      Ducali  laughed,  and   told   us 
they   took    us    for    executioners.     Some — perhaps 
because  black  is  odious  to  the  Moors — looked  at  us 
almost  with  anger  and  disdain  ;  others  shook  their 
heads  with  a  look  of  commiseration. 


224  MOROCCO. 

"  Signori,"  said  the  doctor,  "  if  we  do  not  make 
ourselves  respected  it  is  our  own  fault.  We  have 
arms  ;  let  us  use  them.  I  will  set  the  example." 

Thus  speaking,  he  took  off  his  gibus  hat,  shut 
down  the  spring,  and  passing  before  a  group  of 
smiling  Moors,  suddenly  sprung  it  at  them.  The 
wonder  and  agitation  of  them  at  the  sight  cannot  be 
expressed.  Three  or  four  sprang  backward,  and 
threw  a  glance  of  profound  suspicion  upon  the  dia- 
bolical hat.  The  artists  and  I,  encouraged  by  the 
example,  imitated  him  ;  and  thus,  by  dint  of  our 
gibus,  we  arrived,  respected  and  feared,  at  the 
city  walls. 

Outside  the  gate  of  the  Nicchia  del  Burro  were 
ranged  two  rows  of  infantry  soldiers,  in  great  part 
boys,  who  presented  arms  in  their  usual  fashion,  one 
after  the  other,  and  when  we  had  passed,  put  their 
uniforms  over  their  heads  to  shelter  them  from  the 
sun.  We  crossed  the  Pearl  River  by  a  small  bridge, 
and  found  ourselves  in  the  place  destined  for  the 
reception,  where  we  all  dismounted. 

It  was  a  vast  square,  closed  on  three  sides  by 
high  battlemented  walls  with  large  towers.  On  the 
fourth  side  ran  the  River  of  Pearls.  In  the  corner 
furthest  from  us  opened  a  narrow  road  bordered  by 
white  walls,  which  led  to  the  gardens  and  houses  of 
the  Sultan,  completely  concealed  by  bastions. 

The  square  when  we  arrived  presented  an  admir- 
able coup-doeil.  In  the  middle  a  throng  of  generals, 
masters  of  ceremonies,  magistrates,  nobles,  officials, 


A  SAINT,   FEZ. 


22  i 


and  slaves,  Arab  and  black,  all  dressed  in  white, 
were  divided  into  two  great  ranks,  opposite  each 
other,  and  distant  about  thirty  paces.  Behind  one 
of  these  ranks,  toward  the  river,  were  disposed  in 
files  all  the  Sultan's  horses,  large  and  beautiful  creat- 
ures, with  trappings  of  velvet  embroidered  with 
gold  ;  each  one  held  by  an  armed  groom.  At  the 
end  of  the  files  of  horses  stood  a  small  gilded  car- 
riage, which  the  Queen  of  England  had  given  to  the 
Sultan,  who  always  displays  it  at  every  reception. 
Behind  the  horses,  and  behind  the  other  rank  of 
court  personages,  were  drawn  up  in  interminable 
lines  the  imperial  guard,  dressed  in  white. 

All  around  the  square,  at  the  foot  of  the  wall  and 
along  the  river  bank,  three  thousand  foot-soldiers 
looked  like  four  long  lines  of  flaming  red  ;  and  on  the 
other  bank  of  the  river  was  an  immense  crowd  of 
people  all  in  white.  In  the  middle  of  the  place  were 
arranged  the  cases  containing  the  presents  from  the 
King  of  Italy — a  portrait  of  the  king  himself, 
mirrors,  pictures  in  mosaic,  candelabra,  and  arm- 
chairs. 

We  placed  ourselves  near  to  the  two  ranks  of 
personages,  so  as  to  form  with  them  a  square  open 
toward  that  part  of  the  place  where  the  Sultan  was 
to  come.  Behind  us  were  the  cases  ;  behind  the 
cases,  all  the  soldiers  of  the  embassy.  On  one  side 
Mohammed  Ducali,  the  commandant  of  the  escort, 
Solomon  Affalo,  and  the  sailors  in  uniform. 

A  master  of  ceremonies,  with  a  very  crabbed  ex- 


226  MOROCCO. 

pression  of  countenance,  and  armed  with  a  knotty 
stick,  placed  us  in  two  rows, — in  front,  the  com 
mandant,  the  captain,  and  the  vice-consul ;  be- 
hind, the  doctor,  the  two  painters,  and  myself.  The 
Ambassador  stood  five  or  six  paces  in  advance  of 
us,  with  Signor  Morteo,  who  was  to  interpret. 

At  one  moment  we  seven  advanced  a  few  paces 
unconsciously.  The  master  of  ceremonies  before 
mentioned  made  us  all  go  back,  and  pointed  out 
with  his  stick  the  exact  place  where  we  were  to  re- 
main. This  proceeding  made  a  great  impression  on 
us,  the  more  that  we  fancied  we  saw  the  gleam  of 
an  astute  smile  in  his  eye.  At  the  same  moment  a 
great  buzz  and  murmur  arose  from  above.  We 
looked  up,  and  saw  at  a  certain  height  beyond  the 
bastions  four  or  five  windows,  closed  with  green 
curtains,  behind  which  a  quantity  of  heads  seemed 
to  be  in  movement.  They  were  women's  heads— 
the  buzz  came  from  them ;  the  windows  belonged 
to  a  kind  of  balcony,  which  communicated  by  a 
long  corridor  with  the  Sultan's  harem  ;  and  the 
master  of  ceremonies  had  made  us  stand  in  that 
position  by  express  order  of  the  Sultan  himself,  who 
had  promised  his  ladies  that  they  should  see  the 
Christians.  What  a  pity  that  we  were  not  near 
enough  to  hear  their  observations  upon  our  high 
hats  and  our  swallow-tailed  coats  ! 

The  sun  was  burning  hot  ;  a  profound  silence 
reigned  in  the  vast  square  ;  every  eye  was  turned 
toward  the  same  point.  We  waited  for  about  ten 


INNER  COURT  UK  OUR  HOUSE  AT  FEZ. 


FEZ.  227 

minutes.  Suddenly  a  shiver  seemed  to  run  through 
the  soldiers ;  there  was  a  burst  of  music,  the 
trumpets  sounded  ;  the  court  personages  bowed 
profoundly  ;  the  guards,  grooms,  and  soldiers  put 
one  knee  to  the  ground  ;  and  from  every  mouth 
came  one  prolonged  and  thundering  shout — "  God 
protect  the  Sultan  ! " 

He  was  on  horseback,  followed  by  a  throng  of 
courtiers  on  foot,  one  of  whom  held  over  his  head  an 
immense  parasol.  At  a  few  paces  from  the  Ambas- 
sador he  stopped  his  horse,  a  portion  of  his  suite 
closed  the  square,  the  rest  grouped  themselves 
about  him. 

The  master  of  ceremonies  with  the  knotty  stick 
shouted  in  a  loud  voice  : — "  The  Ambassador  from 
Italy ! " 

The  Ambassador,  accompanied  by  his  interpreter, 
advanced  with  uncovered  head.  The  Sultan  said  in 
Arabic,  "Welcome!  welcome!  welcome!"  Then 
he  asked  if  he  had  had  a  good  journey,  and  if  he 
were  content  with  the  service  of  the  escort,  and 
with  the  reception  of  the  governors.  But  of  all 
this  we  heard  nothing.  We  were  fascinated.  The 
Sultan,  whom  our  imagination  had  represented  to 
us  under  the  aspect  of  a  cruel  and  savage  despot, 
was  the  handsomest  and  most  charming  young  fel- 
low that  had  ever  excited  the  fancy  of  an  odalisque. 
He  is  tall  and  slender,  with  large  soft  eyes,  a  fine 
aquiline  nose,  and  his  dark  visage  is  of  a  perfect 
oval,  encircled  by  a  short  black  beard  ;  a  noble 


228  MOROCCO. 

face,  full  of  sadness  and  gentleness.  A  mantle  of 
snowy  whiteness  fell  from  his  head  to  his  feet ;  his 
turban  was  covered"  by  a  tall  hood  ;  his  feet  were 
bare,  except  for  yellow  slippers ;  his  horse  was 
large  and  white,  with  trappings  of  green  and  gold, 
and  golden  stirrups.  All  this  whiteness  and  ampli- 
tude of  his  garments  gave  him  a  priestly  air,  which, 
with  a  certain  majestic  grace  and  affability,  corre- 
sponded admirably  with  the  expression  of  his  face. 
The  parasol,  sign  of  command,  which  a  courtier  held 
a  little  inclined  behind  him — a  great  round  parasol, 
three  metres  in  height,  lined  with  blue  silk  em- 
broidered with  gold,  and  covered  on  the  outside 
with  amaranth,  topped  by  a  great  golden  ball,  added 
to  the  dignity  of  his  appearance.  His  graceful 
action,  his  smiling  and  pensive  expression,  his  low 
voice,  sweet  and  monotonous  as  the  murmur  of  a 
stream  ;  his  whole  person  and  manners  had  some- 
thing ingenuous  and  feminine,  and  at  the  same  time 
solemn,  that  inspired  irresistible  sympathy  and  pro- 
found respect.  He  looked  about  thirty-two  or 
thirty-three  years  of  age. 

"  I  am  rejoiced,"  he  said,  "  that  the  King  of  Italy 
has  sent  an  Ambassador  to  draw  more  tightly  the 
bands  of  our  ancient  friendship.  The  House  of 
Savoy  has  never  made  war  on  Morocco.  I  love 
the  House  of  Savoy,  and  have  followed  with  pleas- 
ure and  admiration  the  events  which  have  succeeded 
each  other  under  its  auspices  in  Italy.  In  the  time 
of  ancient  Rome  Italy  was  the  most  powerful 


FEZ.  229 

country  in  the  world.  Then  it  was  divided  into 
seven  states.  My  ancestors  were  friendly  to  all  the 
seven  states.  And  I,  now  that*  all  are  reunited  into 
one,  have  concentrated  upon  it  all  the  friendship 
that  my  ancestors  had  for  the  seven." 

He  spoke  these  words  slowly,  with  pauses,  as  if 
he  had  studied  them  first,  and  was  trying  to  remem- 
ber them. 

Among  other  things  the  Ambassador  told  him 
that  the  King  of  Italy  had  sent  him  his  portrait. 

"  It  is  a  precious  gift,"  he  replied,  "  and  I  will 
have  it  placed  in  the  room  where  I  sleep,  opposite 
a  mirror,  so  that  it  shall  be  the  first  object  on  which 
my  eyes  fall  when  I  wake  ;  and  so  every  morning  I 
shall  see  the  image  of  the  King  of  Italy  reflected, 
and  will  think  of  him."  A  little  while  afterward,  he 
added  :  "  I  am  content,  and  I  hope  that  you  will  stay 
long  in  Fez,  and  that  it  will  be  a  pleasant  memory 
when  you  shall  have  returned  to  your  beautiful 
country." 

While  he  spoke  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed  almost 
constantly  upon  his  horse's  head.  At  times  he 
seemed  about  to  smile  ;  but  immediately  bent  his 
brows  and  resumed  the  gravity  proper  to  the  Im- 
perial countenance.  He  was  curious — it  was  evi- 
dent— to  see  what  sort  of  beings  were  these  seven 
ranged  at  ten  paces  from  his  horse  ;  but  not  wishing 
to  look  directly  at  us,  he  turned  his  eyes  little  by 
little .,  and  then  with  one  rapid  glance  took  in  the 
whole  seven  together,  and  at  that  moment  there 


230  MOROCCO. 

was  in  his  eye  a  certain  indefinable  expression  of 
childish  amusement,  that  made  a  pleasant  contrast 
with  the  majesty  of  his  person.  The  numerous 
suite  that  were  gathered  behind  and  about  him  ap- 
peared to  be  petrified.  All  eyes  were  fixed  upon 
him  ;  not  a  breath  could  be  heard,  and  nothing  was 
seen  but  immovable  faces  and  attitudes  of  pro- 
found veneration.  Two  Moors  with  trembling 
hands  drove  away  the  flies  from  his  feet ;  another 
from  time  to  time  passed  his  hand  over  the  skirt  of 
his  white  mantle  as  if  to  purify  it  from  contact  with 
the  air;  a  fourth,  with  an  action  of  sacred  respect, 
caressed  the  crupper  of  the  horse  ;  the  one  who 
held  the  parasol  stood  with  downcast  eyes,  motion- 
less as  a  statue,  almost  as  if  he  were  confused  and 
bewildered  by  the  solemnity  of  his  office.  All 
things  about  him  expressed  his  enormous  power, 
— the  immense  distance  that  separated  him  from 
everybody,  a  measureless  submission,  a  fanatic  de- 
votion, a  savage,  passionate  affection  that  seemed  to 
offer  its  blood  for  proof.  He  seemed  not  a  mon- 
arch, but  a  god. 

The  Ambassador  presented  his  credentials,  and 
then  introduced  the  commandant,  the  captain,  and 
the  vice-consul,  who  advanced  one  after  the  other, 
and  stood  for  a  moment  bowing  low.  The  Sultan 
looked  with  particular  attention  at  the  command- 
ant's decorations. 

"The  physician" — then  said  the  Ambassador, 
pointing  us  out — "and  three  scienzati"  (men  of 
science), 


FEZ.  231 

My  eyes  encountered  the  eyes  of  the  god,  and 
all  the  periods,  already  conceived,  of  this  descrip- 
tion confounded  themselves  in  my  mind. 

The  Sultan  asked  with  curiosity  which  was  the 
physician.  "  He  to  the  right,"  answered  the  inter- 
preter. 

He  looked  attentively  at  the  doctor.  Then  ac- 
companying his  words  with  a  graceful  wave  of  his 
right  hand,  he  said,  "  Peace  be  with  you!  Peace 
be  with  you !  Peace  be  with  you  !  "  and  turned  his 
horse. 

The  band  burst  out,  the  trumpets  sounded,  the 
courtiers  bent  to  the  ground,  guards,  soldiers,  and 
servants  knelt  on  one  knee,  and  once  more  the  loud 
and  prolonged  shout  arose  : — "  God  protect  our 
Sultan  !" 

The  Sultan  gone,  the  two  ranks  of  high  person- 
ages met  and  mingled,  and  there  came  toward  us 
Sid-Moussa,  with  his  sons,  his  officers,  the  Minister 
of  War,  the  Minister  of  Finance,  the  Grand  Scher- 
if  Bacali,  the  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies,  all  the 
great  ones  of  the  court,  smiling,  talking,  and  waving 
their  hands  in  sign  of  festivity.  A  little  later,  Sid- 
Moussa  having  invited  the  Ambassador  to  rest  in  a 
garden  of  the  Sultan's,  we  mounted,  crossed  the 
square  to  the  mysterious  little  road,  and  entered  the 
august  precincts  of  the  Imperial  residence. 

Alleys  bordered  by  high  walls,  small  squares, 
courts,  ruined  houses  and  houses  in  course  of  con- 
struction, arched  doors,  corridors,  little  gardens, 


232  MOXOCCO. 

little  mosques,  a  labyrinth  to  make  one  lose  one's 
way,  and  everywhere  busy  workmen,  lines  of  ser- 
vants, armed  sentinels,  and  some  faces  of  slave  wom- 
en behind  the  grated  windows  or  at  the  openings 
in  the  doors  :  this  was  all.  Not  a  single  handsome 
edifice,  nor  any  thing,  beyond  the  guard,  to  indicate 
the  residence  of  the  sovereign.  We  entered  a  vast 
uncultivated  garden,  with  shaded  walks  crossing 
each  other  at  right  angles,  and  shut  in  by  high 
walls  like  the  garden  of  a  convent,  and  from  thence, 
after  a  short  rest,  returned  home,  spreading  by  the 
way — the  doctor,  the  painters,  and  myself — hilarity 
with  our  swallow-tails  and  terror  with  our  gibus. 

All  that  day  we  talked  of  nothing  but  the  Sultan. 
We  were  all  in  love  with  him.  Ussi  tried  a  hun- 
dred times  to  sketch  his  face,  and  threw  away  his 
pencil  in  despair.  We  proclaimed  him  the  hand 
somest  and  the  most  amiable  of  Mohammedan 
monarchs  ;  and  in  order  that  the  proclamation  might 
be  truly  a  national  one,  we  sought  the  suffrages  of 
the  cook  and  the  two  sailors. 

The  cook,  from  whom  all  the  spectacles  seen  be- 
tween Tangiers  and  Fez  had  never  drawn  any  thing 
but  a  smile  of  commiseration,  showed  himself  gener- 
ous to  the  Sultan  : — 

"  He  is  a  fine  man — there  is  no  doubt  about  that 
— a  handsome  man  ;  but  he  ought  to  travel,  where 
he  can  get  some  instruction." 

This  naturally  meant  Turin.  Luigi,  the  sailor, 
though  a  Neapolitan,  was  more  laconic.  Being 


FEZ.  233 

asked  what  he  had  remarked  in  the  Sultan,  he 
thought  a  moment  and  answered,  smilingly,  "  I  re- 
marked that  in  this  country  even  the  kings  do  not 
wear  stockings." 

The  most  comical  of  all  was  Ranni.  "  How  did 
the  Sultan  strike  you  ? "  asked  the  commandant. 

"  It  struck  me,"  he  answered,  frankly  and  with 
perfect  gravity,  "  that  he  was  afraid." 

"Afraid!"  exclaimed  the  commandant.  "Of 
whom  ? 

"  Of  us.  Did  you  not  see  how  pale  he  grew,  and 
he  spoke  as  if  he  had  lost  his  breath?  " 

"You  are  crazy!  Do  you  think  that  he,  in  the 
midst  of  his  army,  and  surrounded  by  his  guard, 
could  be  afraid  of  us  ?  " 

"  It  seemed  so  to  me,"  said  Ranni,  imperturbably. 

The  commandant  looked  fixedly  at  him,  and  then 
took  his  head  in  both  hands,  like  a  profoundly  dis- 
couraged man. 

That  same  evening  there  came  to  the  palace, 
conducted  by  Selim,  two  Moors,  who,  having  heard 
marvels  of  our  gibus,  desired  to  see  them.  I  went 
and  got  mine  and  opened  it  under  their  noses. 
Both  of  them  looked  into  it  v/ith  great  curiosity,  and 
appeared  much  astonished.  They  probably  ex- 
pected to  find  some  complicated  mechanism  of 
wheels  and  springs,  and  seeing  nothing  were  con- 
firmed in  the  belief  that  exists  among  the  Moorish 
vulgar,  that  in  all  Christian  objects  there  is  some 
thing  diabolical 


234  MOROCCO. 

"  Why,  there  is  nothing ! "  they  exclaimed  with 
one  voice. 

"  But  it  is  precisely  in  that,"  I  answered  through 
Selim,  "  that  the  wonder  of  these  supernatural  hats 
appears  ;  that  they  do  what  they  do  without  any 
wheels  or  springs  !  " 

Selim  laughed,  suspecting  the  trick,  and  I  then 
tried  to  explain  the  mechanism  of  the  thing  to  them  ; 
but  they  seemed  to  understand  but  little. 

They  asked  also,  as  they  took  leave,  whether 
Christians  put  such  things  in  their  hats  "  for  amuse- 
ment." 

"  And  you,"  I  said  to  Selim,  "  what  is  your  opin- 
ion of  these  contrivances  ?  " 

"  My  opinion  is,"  he  answered  with  haughty  con- 
tempt, placing  his  finger  on  the  offending  hat,  "  that 
if  I  had  to  live  a  hundred  years  in  your  country, 
perhaps,  little  by  little,  I  might  adopt  your  manner 
of  dressing — your  shoes,  your  cravats,  and  even  the 
hideous  colors  that  please  you  ;  but  that  horrible 
black  thing — ah !  God  is  my  witness,  that  I  would 
rather  die  ! " 

At  this  point  I  begin  my  journal  at  Fez,  which 
embraces  all  the  time  that  transpired  between  our 
reception  by  the  Sultan,  and  our  departure  for 
Mechinez  : — 

May  2Qth. 

To-day  the  chief  custodian  of  the  palace  gave  me 
secretly  the  key  of  the  terrace,  warmly  recommend- 
ing us  to  observe  prudence.  It  appears  that  he  had 


FEZ.  235 

received  orders  not  to  refuse  the  keys,  but  to  give 
them  only  if  urgently  asked  for  ;  and  this  because 
the  terraces  at  Fez,  as  in  other  cities  of  Morocco, 
belong  to  the  women,  and  are  considered  almost  as 
appendages  of  the  harem.  We  went  up  to  the 
terrace,  which  is  very  spacious,  and  completely  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall  higher  than  a  man,  having  a  few 
loop-holes  for  windows.  The  palace  being  very 
high,  and  built  on  a  height,  hundreds  of  white  ter- 
races could  be  seen  from  thence,  as  well  as  the  hills 
which  surround  the  city,  and  the  distant  mountains  ; 
and  below,  another  small  garden,  from  the  midst  of 
which  rose  a  palm-tree  so  tall  as  to  overtop  the 
building  by  almost  one  third  of  its  own  stature. 
Looking  through  those  loop-hole  windows,  we 
seemed  to  see  into  another  world.  Upon  the  ter- 
races far  and  near  were  many  women,  the  greater 
part  of  them,  judging  by  their  dress,  in  easy  circum- 
stances,— ladies,  if  that  title  can  be  given  to  Moorish 
women.  A  few  were  seated  upon  the  parapets, 
some  walking  about,  some  jumping  with  the  agility 
of  squirrels  from  one  terrace  to  the  other,  hiding, 
re-appearing,  and  throwing  water  in  each  other's 
faces,  laughing  merrily.  There  were  old  women 
and  young,  little  girls  of  eight  or  ten,  all  dressed  in 
the  strangest  garments,  and  of  the  most  brilliant 
colors.  Most  of  them  had  their  hair  falling  over 
their  shoulders,  a  red  or  green  silk  handkerchief 
tied  round  the  head  in  a  band  ;  a  sort  of  caftan  of 
different  colors,  with  wide  sleeves,  bound  round  the 


236  MOROCCO. 

waist  with  a  blue  or  crimson  sash ;  a  velvet  jacket 
open  at  the  breast ;  wide  trousers,  yellow  slippers, 
and  large  silver  rings  above  the  ankle.  The  slaves 
and  children  had  nothing-  on  but  a  chemise.  One 
only  of  these  ladies  was  near  enough  for  us  to  see 
her  features.  She  was  a  woman  of  about  thirty, 
dressed  in  gala  dress,  and  standing  on  a  terrace  a 
cat's  jump  below  our  own.  She  was  looking  down 
into  a  garden,  leaning  her  head  upon  her  hand. 
We  looked  at  her  with  a  glass.  Heavens,  what  a 
picture !  Eyes  darkened  with  antimony,  cheeks 
painted  red,  throat  painted  white,  nails  stained  with 
henna :  she  was  a  perfect  painter's  palette ;  but 
handsome,  despite  her  thirty  years,  with  a  full  face, 
and  almond-shaped  eyes,  languid,  and  veiled  by 
long  black  lashes  ;  the  nose  a  little  turned  up  ;  a 
small  round  mouth,  as  the  Moorish  poet  says,  like  a 
ring ;  and  a  sylph-like  figure,  whose  soft  and  curv- 
ing lines  were  shown  by  the  thin  texture  of  her 
dress.  She  seemed  sad.  Perhaps  some  fourth 
bride  of  fourteen  had  lately  entered  the  harem  and 
stolen  her  husband's  caresses.  From  time  to  time 
she  glanced  at  her  hand,  her  arm,  a  tress  of  hair 
that  fell  over  her  bosom,  and  sighed.  The  sound  of 
our  voices  suddenly  roused  her  ;  she  looked  up,  saw 
that  we  were  observing  her,  jumped  over  the  para- 
pet of  the  terrace  with  the  dexterity  of  an  acrobat, 
and  vanished.  To  see  better,  we  sent  for  a  chair, 
and  drew  lots  which  should  mount  it  first.  The  lot 
falling  to  me,  I  placed  the  chair  against  the  wall, 


FEZ.  237 

and  succeeded  in  raising  my  head  and  shoulders 
above  it.  It  was  like  the  apparition  of  a  new  star  in 
the  sky  of  Fez,  if  I  may  be  excused  the  audac>fy  of 
the  simile.  I  was  seen  at  once  from  the  nearer 
houses,  the  occupants  of  which  at  once  took  to 
flight,  then  turned  to  look,  and  announced  the  event 
to  those  on  the  more  distant  terraces.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  news  had  spread  from  terrace  to  ter- 
race over  half  the  city ;  curious  eyes  appeared 
everywhere,  and  I  found  myself  in  a  sort  of  pillory. 
But  the  beauty  of  the  spectacle  held  me  to  my  post. 
There  were  hundreds  of  women  and  children,  on 
the  parapets,  on  the  little  towers,  on  the  outer  stair- 
cases, all  turned  toward  me,  all  in  flaming  colors, 
from  those  nearer  ones  whose  features  I  could  dis- 
cern, to  those  more  distant,  who  were  mere  white, 
green,  or  vermilion  points  to  my  eye  ;  some  of  the 
terraces  were  so  full  that  they  seemed  like  baskets 
of  flowers  ;  and  everywhere  there  was  a  buzz,  and 
hurry,  and  gesticulation,  as  if  they  were  all  looking 
on  at  some  celestial  phenomenon.  Not  to  put  the 
entire  city  in  commotion,  I  set,  or  rather  descended 
from  my  chair,  and  for  a  moment  no  one  went  up. 
Then  Biseo  rose,  and  he  also  was  the  mark  for 
thousands  of  eyes,  when,  suddenly,  upon  a  distant 
terrace,  all  the  women  turned  the  other  way,  and 
ran  to  look  in  the  opposite  direction,  and,  in  a  mo- 
ment, those  on  the  other  houses  did  the  same.  We 
could  not  at  first  imagine  what  had  happened,  until 
the  vice-consul  made  a  happy  guess.  "  A  great 


238  MOROCCO. 

event,"  he  said  ;  "  the  commandant  and  the  captain 
are  passing  through  the  streets  of  Fez "  ;  and  in 
fact,  after  a  little  time,  we  saw  the  red  uniforms  of 
the  escort  appear  upon  the  heights  that  overlook 
the  city,  and  with  the  glass  could  recognize  the 
commandant  and  captain  on  horseback.  Another 
sudden  turn  about  of  the  women  on  some  of  the 
terraces  gave  notice  of  the  passage  of  another 
Italian  party  ;  and  in  about  ten  minutes  we  beheld 
upon  the  opposite  hills  the  white  Egyptian  head- 
dress of  Ussi,  and  Morteo's  English  hat.  After 
this  the  universal  attention  was  once  more  turned 
to  us,  and  we  stayed  a  moment  to  enjoy  it ;  but 
upon  a  neighboring  terrace  there  appeared  five  or 
six  brats  of  slave-girls,  of  about  thirteen  or  fourteen 
years  of  age,  who  loo'ked  at  us  and  giggled  in  such 
an  insolent  manner,  that  we  were  constrained,  in 
Christian  decorum,  to  deprive  the  metropolitan  fair 
sex  of  our  shining  presence. 

Yesterday  we  dined  with  the  Grand  Vizier,  Taib 
Ben-Jamani,  surnamed  Boascherin,  which  signifies, 
according  to  some,  victor  at  the  game  of  ball,  and 
according  to  others,  father  of  twenty  children  ;— 
Grand  Vizier,  however,  by  courtesy  only,  his  father 
having  filled  that  office  under  the  late  Sultan.  The 
messenger  bearing  the  invitation  was  received  by 
the  Ambassador  in  our  presence. 

"  The  Grand  Vizier,  Taib  Ben-Jamani  Boascherin," 
said  he,  with  much  gravity,  "  prays  the  Ambassador 
of  Italy  and  his  suite  to  dine  to-day  at  his  house." 


FEZ.  239 

The  Ambassador  expressed  his  thanks. 

"  The  Grand  Vizier,  Taib  Ben-Jamani  Boascherin," 
he  continued,  with  the  same  gravity,  "  prays  the 
Ambassador  and  his  suite  to  bring  with  them  their 
knives  and  forks,  and  also  their  servants  to  wait  on 
them  at  table." 

We  went  toward  evening,  in  dress-coats  and 
white  cravats,  mounted,  and  with  an  armed  guard 
as  before.  I  do  not  remember  in  what  part  of  the 
city  the  house  was  situated,  so  many  were  the  turns 
and  twists  we  made,  the  ups  and  downs,  through 
covered  ways  gloomy  and  sinister,  holding  up  the 
mules  from  slipping,  and  stooping  our  heads  not  to 
strike  them  against  the  low  damp  vaults  of  those 
interminable  galleries.  We  dismounted  in  a  dark 
passage,  and  entered  a  square  court,  paved  in 
mosaic,  and  surrounded  by  tall  white  pilasters, 
which  upheld  little  arches  painted  green  and  orna- 
mented with  arabesques  in  stucco  —  a  strange 
Moorish-Babylonian  sort  of  architecture,  both  pleas- 
ing and  peculiar.  In  the  middle  of  the  court  seven 
jets  of  water  shot  up  from  as  many  vases  of  white 
marble,  making  a  noise  as  of  a  heavy  rain.  All 
around  were  little  half-closed  doors  and  double 
windows.  At  the  two  shorter  sides  two  great  doors 
stood  open,  giving  access  to  two  halls.  On  the 
threshold  of  one  of  these  doors  was  the  Grand 
Vizier,  standing  ;  behind  him  two  old  Moors,  rela- 
tions of  his  ;  to  the  right  and  left,  two  wings  of 
male  and  female  slaves. 


240  MOROCCO. 

After  the  usual  salutations,  the  Grand  Vizier 
seated  himself  upon  a  divan  which  ran  along  the 
wall,  crossed  his  legs,  hugged  to  his  stomach,  with 
both  his  hands,  a  large  round  cushion — his  habitual 
and  peculiar  attitude — and  never  moved  again  for 
the  rest  of  the  evening. 

He  was  a  man  of  about  forty-five  years  of  age, 
vigorous,  and  with  regular  features,  but  with  a  cer- 
tain false  light  shining  in  his  eyes.  He  wore  a 
white  turban  and  caftan.  He  spoke  with  much 
vivacity,  and  laughed  loud  and  long  at  his  own 
words  and  those  of  others,  throwing  back  his  head 
while  he  did  so,  and  keeping  his  mouth  open  long 
after  he  had  done  laughing. 

On  the  walls  hung  some  small  pictures  with 
inscriptions  from  the  Koran  in  gold  letters  ;  in  the 
middle  of  the  room  there  were  a  common  wooden 
table  and  some  rustic  chairs  ;  all  about  lay  white 
mattresses,  on  which  we  threw  our  hats. 

Sidi-Ben-Jamani  began  a  vivacious  conversation 
with  the  Ambassador,  asking  if  he  were  married, 
and  why  he  did  not  marry.  He  said  that  if  he  had 
been  married  he  might  have  brought  his  wife  to 
dinner;  that  the  English  Ambassador  had  brought 
his  daughter,  and  that  she  had  been  much  diverted 
by  what  she  saw  there  ;  that  all  the  ambassadors 
ought  to  marry,  expressly  to  conduct  their  wives  to 
Fez,  and  dine  with  him  ;  together  with  other  talk  of 
the  same  kind,  all  of  it  interspersed  with  loud 
laughter. 


FEZ.  241 

Whilst  the  Grand  Vizier  was  talking,  the  two 
painters  and  I,  seated  in  the  door- way,  were  looking 
out  of  the  corners  of  our  eyes  at  the  slave  women, 
who,  little  by  little,  and  encouraged  by  our  air  of 
benign  curiosity,  had  drawn  near,  unseen  by  the 
Grand  Vizier,  so  that  they  could  almost  touch  us ; 
and  there  they  stood,  looking  and  being  looked  at, 
with  a  certain  complacency.  There  were  eight  of 
them,  fine  girls  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  years  of 
age,  some  mulatto,  some  black,  with  large  eyes, 
dilated  nostrils,  and  full  bosoms ;  all  dressed  in 
white,  with  very  broad  embroidered  girdles,  arms 
and  feet  bare,  bracelets  on  their  wrists,  great  silver 
rings  in  their  ears,  thick  silver  anklets.  It  seemed 
as  if  they  would  not  scruple  very  much  to  have  their 
cheeks  pinched  by  a  Christian  hand.  Ussi  pointed 
out  to  Biseo  the  beautiful  foot  of  one  of  them  ;  she 
noticed  it,  and  began  to  examine  her  own  foot  with 
much  curiosity.  All  the  others  did  the  same,  com- 
paring their  own  feet  with  hers.  Ussi  "fired  off" 
bis  gibus  hat ;  they  drew  back,  then-  smiled,  and 
came  near  again.  The  Grand  Vizier's  voice,  order- 
ing the  table  to  be  prepared,  sent  them  flying. 

The  table  was  laid  by  our  own  soldiers.  A  ser- 
vant of  the  house  placed  upon  it,  in  the  middle, 
three  thick  waxen  torches  of  different  colors.  The 
china-ware  belonged  to  the  Grand  Vizier,  and  there 
were  not  two  plates  alike  ;  but  they  were  big  and 
little,  white  and  colored,  fine  and  common,  plenty 
and  to  spare.  The  napkins  also  belonged  to  the 


242  MOROCCO. 

house,  and  consisted  of  sundry  square  pieces  of  cot- 
ton cloth,  of  different  sizes,  unhemmed,  and  evidently 
just  cut  off  in  a  hurry  for  the  occasion. 

It  was  night  when  we  sat  down.  The  Grand 
Vizier  sat  on  his  mattress,  hugging  his  cushion,  and 
talking  and  laughing  with  his  two  relatives. 

I  will  not  describe  the  dinner.  I  do  not  wish  to 
recall  painful  memories.  Enough  to  say  that  there 
were  thirty  dishes,  or  rather  thirty  unpleasant  things, 
without  counting  the  smaller  annoyances  of  the 
sweets. 

At  the  fifteenth  dish,  it  becoming  impossible  to  con- 
tinue the  struggle  without  the  aid  of  wine,  the  Am- 
bassador begged  Morteo  to  ask  the  Grand  Vizier  if 
it  would  be  displeasing  to  him  to  have  some  cham- 
pagne sent  for. 

Morteo  whispered  to  Selam,  and  Selam  repeated 
the  request  in  the  ear  of  his  Excellency.  His  Ex- 
cellency made  a  long  reply  in  a  low  voice,  and  we 
anxiously  watched  his  face  out  of  the  corners  of  our 
eyes.  But  we  found  small  hope  there. 

Selam  rose  with  a  mortified  air,  and  repeated  the 
answer  into  the  ear  of  the  intendant,  who  gave  us 
the  coup  de  grdce  in  the  following  words  : 

"The  Grand  Vizier  says  that  there  would  be  no 
difficulty,  that  he  would  consent  willingly,  but  that  it 
would  be  an  impropriety,  and  the  glasses  would  be 
soiled,  and  perhaps  the  table  ;  and  that  in  any  case 
the  sight,  the  odor,  and  then  the  novelty  of  the 
thing  " 


FEZ.  243 

"  I  understand,"  answered  the  Ambassador ;  "  we 
will  say  no  more  about  it." 

Our  complexions  all  assumed  a  slight  shade  of 
green. 

The  dinner  over,  the  Ambassador  remained  in 
conversation  with  the  Grand  Vizier,  and  the  rest  of 
us  issued  forth  into  the  rain  and  darkness  of  the 
court.  In  the  room  at  the  other  end  of  it,  lighted 
by  a  torch,  and  seated  on  the  ground,  our  caid,  his 
officers,  and  the  secretaries  of  our  host  were  dining. 
At  all  the  little  windows  in  the  walls,  lighted  from 
within,  women's  and  children's  heads  could  be  seen, 
their  dark  outlines  showing  against  the  light.  A 
half-open  door  showed  a  splendidly  illuminated  hall, 
where  seated,  lounging  in  a  circle,  and  gorgeously 
arrayed,  were  the  wives  and  concubines  of  the  Grand 
Vizier,  dimly  seen  through  the  smoke  of  burning 
perfumes  that  rose  from  tripods  at  their  feet.  Slave- 
women  and  servants  came  and  went  continually ; 
there  must  have  been  at  least  fifty  persons  moving 
about,  but  there  was  no  sound  of  voice,  or  step,  or 
rustle  of  garment.  It  was  like  a  phantasmagoria,  at 
which  we  gazed  for  a  long  time,  silent,  and  hidden  in 
the  darkness. 

As  we  were  going  away  we  saw,  attached  to  a  pil- 
lar in  the  court,  a  thick  leathern  thong  with  knots  in 
it.  The  interpreter  asked  one  of  the  men  what  it 
was  for.  "  To  beat  us  with,"  he  answered. 

We  mounted  and  turned  our  faces  homeward, 
accompanied  by  a  troop  of  the  Grand  Vizier's  ser- 


244  MOROCCO. 

vants  carrying  lanterns.  It  was  very  dark  and  rain- 
ing heavily.  The  strange  effect  of  that  long  caval- 
cade cannot  be  imagined,  with  the  lanterns,  the 
crowd  of  armed  and  hooded  figures,  the  deafening 
noise  of  the  horses'  feet,  the  sound  of  savage  excla- 
mations, in  that  labyrinth  of  narrow  streets  and  cov- 
ered passages,  in  the  midst  of  the  silence  of  the 
sleeping  city.  It  seemed  like  a  funeral  procession 
winding  along  under  ground,  or  a  party  of  soldiers 
advancing  through  subterranean  ways  to  surprise  a 
fortress.  Suddenly  the  procession  halted  ;  there  was 
a  sepulchral  silence,  broken  by  a  voice  saying  an- 
grily in  Arabic,  "  The  road  is  closed !  "  A  moment 
after  there  was  a  great  noise  of  blows.  The  soldiers 
of  the  escort  were  trying  to  beat  down  with  the  butts 
of  their  muskets  one  of  the  thousand  gates  that  dur- 
ing the  night  prevent  circulation  through  the  streets 
of  Fez.  The  work  took  some  time  ;  it  thundered 
and  lightened,  and  the  rain  poured  in  torrents  ;  the 
soldiers  and  servants  ran  about  with  lanterns,  throw- 
ing their  long  shadows  on  the  walls  ;  the  caid, 
standing  in  his  stirrups,  threatened  the  invisible  in- 
habitants of  the  surrounding  houses  ;  and  we  en- 
joyed the  fine  Rembrandt  picture  with  infinite  de- 
light. Finally  the  door  came  down  with  a  great 
noise,  and  we  passed  on.  A  little  before  we  reached 
our  house,  under  an  arched  passage,  six  foot-sol- 
diers presented  arms  with  one  hand,  the  other  hold- 
ing a  lighted  taper  ;  and  this  was  the  last  scene  ol 
the  fantastic  drama,  entitled,  "A  Dinner  with  the 


FEZ.  245 

Grand  Vizier."  But,  no  ;  the  last  scene  of  all  was 
when  we,  hardly  in  our  own  court-yard,  precipitated 
ourselves  upon  sardines  of  Nantes,  and  bottles  of 
Bordeaux,  and  Ussi,  lifting  his  glass  above  our  heads, 
exclaimed  in  solemn  accents,  "  To  Sidi  Ben-Jamani, 
Grand  Vizier  of  Morocco,  our  most  gracious  host,  I, 
Stefano  Ussi,  with  Christian  forgiveness,  consecrate 
this  cup !  " 

The  Sultan  has  received  the  Ambassador  in 
private  audience.  The  reception -hall  is  as  big,  as 
bare,  and  as  white  as  a  prison.  There  are  no  other 
ornaments  but  a  great  number  of  clocks  of  all 
forms  and  dimensions,  of  which  some  are  on  the 
tloor,  ranged  along  the  walls,  and  some  are  hud- 
dled together  on  the  table  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.  Clocks,  it  may  be  remembered,  are  very 
great  objects  of  admiration  and  amusement  among 
the  Moors.  The  Sultan  was  seated  cross-legged,  in 
a  little  alcove,  upon  a  wooden  platform  about  a  yard 
high.  He  wore,  at  his  public  reception,  a  white 
mantle,  with  a  hood  over  his  head  ;  his  feet  were 
bare,  his  yellow  slippers  in  a  corner,  and  a  green 
cord  crossed  his  breast,  to  which  a  poniard  was 
probably  suspended.  In  this  way  the  emperors  of 
Morocco  have  always  received  ambassadors.  Their 
throne,  as  Sultan  Abd-er-Rhaman  said,  is  the  horse, 
and  their  pavilion  the  sky.  The  Ambassador,  hav- 
ing first  made  known  his  wish  to  Sid-Moussa, 
found  before  the  imperial  platform  a  modest  chair, 
upon  which,  at  a  sign  from  the  Sultan,  he  seated 


246  MOROCCO. 

himself;  Signer  Morteo,  the  interpreter,  remained 
standing.  His  Majesty,  Muley-el- Hassan,  spoke  for 
a  long  time,  without  ever  raising  his  hands  from  be- 
neath his  mantle,  without  making  a  movement  with 
his  head,  without  altering  by  a  single  accent  the 
habitual  monotony  of  his  soft,  deep  voice.  He 
spoke  of  the  needs  of  his  empire,  of  commerce,  of 
industry,  of  treaties  ;  going  into  minute  particulars, 
with  much  order  and  method,  and  great  simplicity 
of  language.  He  asked  many  questions,  listening 
to  the  answers  with  great  attention,  and  concluded 
by  saying,  with  a.slight  expression  of  sadness  :  "  It  is 
true ;  but  we  are  constrained  to  proceed  slowly  " 
strange  and  admirable  words  on  the  lips  of  an  em- 
peror of  Morocco.  Seeing  that  he  gave  no  sign, 
even  in  the  intervals  of  silence,  to  break  off  the  in- 
terview, the  Ambassador  thought  it  his  duty  to  rise. 

"  Stay  yet  a  while,"  said  the  Sultan,  with  a  cer- 
tain expression  of  ingenuousness  ;  "  it  gives  me 
pleasure  to  converse  with  you."  When  the  Ambas- 
sador took  leave,  bowing  for  the  last  time  on  the 
threshold  of  the  door,  he  slightly  bent  his  head,  and 
remained  motionless,  like  an  idol  in  his  deserted 
temple. 

A  company  of  Hebrew  women  have  been  here 
presenting  I  know  not  what  petition  to  the  Ambas- 
sador. No  one  could  shelter  his  hands  from  the 
shower  of  their  kisses.  They  were  the  wives, 
daughters,  and  relations  of  two  rich  merchants  ; 
beautiful  women,  with  brilliant  black  eyes,  fair  skins, 


FEZ.  247 

scarlet  lips,  and  very  small  hands.  The  two  moth- 
ers, already  old,  had  not  a  single  white  hair,  and  the 
fire  of  youth  still  burned  in  their  eyes.  Their  dress 
was  splendid  and  picturesque — a  handkerchief  of 
gorgeous  colors  bound  about  the  forehead  ;  a  jacket 
of  red  cloth,  trimmed  with  heavy  gold  braid  ;  a  sort 
of  waistcoat  all  of  gold  embroidery  ;  a  short,  narrow 
petticoat  of  green  cloth,  also  bordered  with  gold  ; 
and  a  sash  of  red  or  blue  silk  around  the  waist. 
They  looked  like  so  many  Asiatic  princesses,  and 
their  splendor  of  attire  contrasted  oddly  with  their 
servile  and  obsequious  manners.  They  all  spoke 
Spanish.  It  was  not  until  after  some  minutes  that 
we  observed  that  they  had  bare  feet,  and  carried 
their  yellow  slippers  under  their  arms. 

"  Why  do  you  not  wear  your  shoes  ?  "  I  asked  of 
one  of  the  old  women. 

"What!"  she  said,  in  astonishment.  "Do  you 
not  know  that  we  Israelites  must  not  wear  shoes 
except  in  the  Mella,  and  that  when  we  enter  a 
Moorish  city  we  must  go  barefoot  ?  " 

Reassured  by  the  Ambas'sador,  they  all  put  on 
their  slippers.  Such  is  the  fact.  They  are  not  ab- 
solutely obliged  to  go  always  with  bare  feet  ;  but  as 
they  must  take  off  their  shoes  in  passing  through 
certain  streets,  before  certain  mosques,  near  certain 
cube,  it  becomes  the  same  thing  in  the  end.  And 
this  is  not  the  only  vexation  to  which  they  are  sub- 
jected, nor  the  most  humiliating  one.  They  cannot 
bear  witness  before  a  judge,  and  must  prostrate 


248  MOROCCO. 

themselves  on  the  ground  before  any  tribunal ;  they 
cannot  possess  lands  or  houses  outside  of  their  own 
quarter;  they  must  not  raise  their  hands  against  a 
Mussulman,  even  in  self-defence,  except  in  the  case 
of  being  assaulted  under  their  own  roof;  they  can 
only  wear  dark  colors* ;  they  must  carry  their  dead 
to  the  cemetery  at  a  run  ;  they  must  ask  the  Sul- 
tan's leave  to  marry ;  they  must  be  within  their 
own  quarter  at  sunset  ;  they  must  pay  the  Moorish 
guard  who  stands  sentinel  at  the  gates  of  the  Mella  ; 
and  they  must  present  rich  gifts  to  the  Sultan  on  the 
four  great  festivals  of  Islamism,  and  on  every  occa- 
sion of  birth  or  matrimony  in  the  imperial  family. 
Their  condition  was  still  worse  before  the  time  of 
Sultan  Abd-er-Rhaman,  who  at  least  prevented 
their  blood  from  being  shed.  Even  if  they  would, 
the  sultans  could  not  much  ameliorate  their  condi- 
tion, without  exposing  this  unfortunate  people  to  an 
even  worse  fate  than  the  horrible  slavery  they  now 
endure,  so  fanatical  and  ferocious  is  the  hatred  of 
the  Moors  against  them.  Thus,  Sultan  Soliman 
having  decreed  that  they  might  wear  their  shoes,  so 
many  of  them  were  killed  in  open  day  in  the  streets 
of  Fez  that  they  themselves  petitioned  the  revoca- 
tion of  the  decree.  Nevertheless,  they  remain  in 
the  country,  and  being  willing  to  run  the  risks,  they 
serve  as  intermediaries  between  the  commerce  of 
Europe  and  that  of  Africa  ;  and  the  government, 
aware  of  their  importance  to  the  prosperity  of  the 

*  Apparently  the  women  are  exempt  from  this  law. —  Trans. 


FA  Z.  249 

state,  opposes  an  almost  insurmountable  barrier  to 
emigration,  prohibiting  the  departure  of  any  Jewish 
woman  from  Morocco.  They  serve,  they  tremble, 
and  grovel  in  the  dust  ;  but  they  would  not  give,  to 
acquire  the  dignity  of  men  and  the  liberty  of  citi- 
zens, the  heaps  of  gold  which  they  keep  hidden  in 
their  gloomy  habitations. 

There  are  about  eight  thousand  of  them  living  in 
Fez,  divided  into  synagogues,  and  directed  by 
rabbis  who  enjoy  high  authority. 

These  poor  women  showed  us  a  number  of  large 
bracelets  of  chased  silver,  some  rings  set  with  jew- 
els, and  some  gold  ear-rings,  which  they  kept  hidden 
in  their  bosoms.  We  asked  why  they  concealed 
them. 

"Nos  espanlamos  de  los  Moros."  "  We  are  afraid 
of  the  Moors,"  they  said,  in  alow  voice,  looking  tim- 
idly about  them.  They  were  suspicious,  too,  of  the 
soldiers  of  the  Legation. 

Amonor  them  there  were  several  children,  dressed 

o 

with  the  same  splendor  as  the  women.  One  of  them 
stood  close  to  her  mother,  seeming  more  timid  than 
the  rest.  The  Ambassador  asked  how  old  she  was. 
11  Twelve  years  old,"  the  mother  said. 

"  She  will  soon  be  married,"  remarked  the  Am- 
bassador. 

"  Che  !  "  exclaimed  the  mother  ;  ;<  she  is  too  old 
to  marry." 

We  all  thought  she  was  joking.  But  she  re- 
peated, almost  astonished  at  our  incredulity,  "  I 


MOROCCO. 

speak  the  truth  ;  look  here  at  this  one  " — and  she 
pointed  to  a  smaller  child.  "  She  will  be  ten  years 
old  in  six  months,  and  she  has  already  been  married 
one  year." 

The  child  held  down  her  head.  We  were  still 
incredulous. 

"  What  can  I  say  ?  "  continued  the  woman.  "  If 
you  will  not  believe  my  word,  do  me  the  honor  to 
come  to  my  house  on  Saturday,  so  that  we  may  re- 
ceive you  worthily,  and  you  will  see  the  husband 
and  the  witnesses  of  the  marriage." 

"  And  how  old  is  the  husband  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Ten  years  old,  Signore." 

Seeing  that  we  still  doubted,  the  other  women  all 
asserted  the  same,  adding  that  it  was  quite  rare  for 
a  girl  to  marry  after  twelve  years  of  age  ;  that  the 
greater  part  of  them  are  married  at  ten,  many  at 
eight,  and  some  even  at  seven,  to  boys  of  about 
their  own  age  ;  and  that,  naturally,  while  they  are 
so  young,  they  live  with  their  parents,  who  con- 
tinue to  treat  them  like  children,  feed,  clothe,  and 
correct  them,  without  the  least  regard  to  their 
marital  dignity  ;  but  they  are  always  together,  and 
the  wife  is  submissive  to  the  husband. 

To  us  all  this  seemed  news  from  another  world 
than  ours,  and  we  listened  with  open  mouths, 
divided  between  a  desire  to  laugh,  pity,  and  anger. 

A  breakfast  at  the  house  of  the  Minister  of 
War. 

We  were  received  in  a  narrow  court,  enclosed  by 


FEZ.  25 1 

four  high  walls,  and  as  dark  as  a  well.  On  one  side 
there  was  a  door  about  three  feet  in  height,  on  the 
other  a  great  doorway  without  doors,  and  a  bare 
room,  with  a  mattress  on  the  floor,  and  some  sheets 
of  paper  strung  on  a  string  and  hanging  on  one  of 
the  walls  :  the  daily  correspondence,  I  imagine,  of 
his  Excellency. 

He  is  called  Sid-Abd-Alla  Ben  Hamed,  is  the 
elder  brother  of  Sid-Moussa,  is  about  sixty  years 
old,  black,  small,  lean,  infirm  on  his  legs,  trembling 
and  decrepit.  He  speaks  little,  shuts  his  eyes  often, 
and  smiles  courteously,  bowing  his  head,  which  is 
almost  concealed  in  an  immense  turban.  Never- 
theless, his  appearance  and  manners  are  agreeable. 

After  the  exchange  of  a  few  words,  we  were  in- 
vited into  the  dining- hall.  The  Ambassador  first, 
and  then  all  the  others  one  by  one,  stooping  almost 
to  a  right  angle,  passed  the  little  low  door,  and  came 
out  into  another  court,  spacious,  surrounded  by  an 
elegant  arcade,  and  covered  with  splendid  and  vari- 
ous ornaments  in  mosaic.  It  is  a  palace  which  was 
presented  to  Sid-Abd-Alla  by  the  Sultan.  He  him- 
self gives  us  this  information,  bowing  his  head  and 
closing  his  eyes  with  an  air  of  religious  veneration. 

In  one  corner  of  the  court  there  was  a  group  of 
officials  in  white  turbans  and  robes ;  on  the  other 
side  a  troop  of  servants,  among  whom  towered  a 
very  handsome  young  giant,  dressed  all  in  blue, 
with  a  long  pistol  at  his  belt.  At  all  the  little  doors 
and  windows  in  the  four  walls  heads  of  women  and 


252  MOROCCO. 

children  of  various  shades  of  complexion  appeareci 
and  disappeared,  and  on  every  side  was  heard  the 
voice  of  infancy. 

We  sat  down  around  a  small  table,  in  a  little  room 
encumbered  by  two  enormous  beds.  The  Minister 
placed  himself  next  to,  but  a  little  behind,  the 
Ambassador,  and  sat  there  all  the  time  of  the 
breakfast,  vigorously  rubbing  his  bare  black  foot, 
which  he  had  planted  on  his  knee,  so  that  the  min- 
isterial toes  appeared  just  above  the  edge  of  the 
table,  at  a  few  inches  from  the  commandant's  plate. 
The  soldiers  of  the  Legation  waited  at  table.  Close 
to  it  stood  the  young  blue  giant,  with  his  hand  on 
his  pistol. 

Sid-Abd-Alla  was  very  polite  to  the  Ambassador. 

"  I  like  you  very  much,"  he  said,  without  pre- 
amble, through  the  interpreter. 

The  Ambassador  replied  that  he  experienced  the 
same  sentiment  toward  him. 

"  I  had  scarcely  seen  you,"  continued  the  Min- 
ister, "  when  my  heart  was  all  yours." 

The  Ambassador  returned  the  compliment. 

"  The  heart,"  concluded  Sid-Abd-Alla,  "  cannot 
be  resisted  ;  and  when  it  commands  you  to  love  a 
person,  even  without  knowing  the  reason,  you  must 
obey." 

The  Ambassador  gave  him  his  hand,  which  he 
pressed  to  his  breast. 

Eighteen  dishes  were  served.  I  speak  not  of 
them.  Enough  to  say  that  I  hope  that  my  partak- 


FEZ.  253 

ing  of  them  will  some  day  be  counted  in  my  favor. 
By  way  of  variety  the  water  was  flavored  with 
musk,  the  table-cloth  of  many  colors,  and  'the  chairs 
tottering  on  their  legs.  But  these  little  calamities, 
instead  of  putting  us  into  an  ill  humor,  only  excited 
our  comic  vein,  so  that  seldom  were  we  so  full  of 
mischievous  frolic  as  on  that  occasion.  If  Sid-Abd- 
Alla  could  only  have  heard  us!  But  Sid- Abd- Alia 
was  entirely  absorbed  in  the  Ambassador.  Signor 
Morteo  alarmed  us  for  an  instant  by  whispering  to 
us  that  the  blue  giant,  who  was  from  Tunis,  might 
possibly  understand  a  few  words  of  Italian.  But 
observing  him  attentively  when  certain  jokes  were 
made,  and  seeing  him  always  impassible  as  a  statue, 
we  were  reassured,  and  went  on  without  minding 
him.  How  many  apt  and  unexpected  similes  did 
we  find,  and  with  what  clamorously  comic  effect, 
but  unfortunately  not  to  be  repeated,  for  those 
ragouts  and  sauces ! 

The  breakfast  over,  we  all  went  out  into  the 
court,  where  the  Minister  presented  to  the  Ambas- 
sador one  of  the  highest  officers  of  the  army.  He 
was  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  artillery  :  a 
little  old  man,  dry,  and  bent  like  the  letter  C,  with 
an  enormous  hooked  nose  and  two  round  eyes  ; 
the  face  of  a  bird  of  prey  ;  overwhelmed,  rather 
than  covered,  by  an  immeasurable  yellow  turban  of 
a  spherical  form,  and  dressed  in  a  sort  of  Zouave 
dress,  all  blue,  with  a  white  mantle  on  his  shoulders. 
He  wore  at  his  side  a  long  sabre,  and  had  a  silver 


254  MOROCCO. 

poniard  in  his  belt.  The  Ambassador  inquired  to 
what  rank  in  a  European  army  his  own  corre- 
sponded. He  seemed  embarrassed  by  the  ques- 
tion. He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  answered, 
stammering,  "General";  then  he  thought  again, 
and  said,  "  No  ;  colonel,"  and  was  confused.  He 
said  he  was  a  native  of  Algeria.  I  had  a  suspicion 
that  he  was  a  renegade.  Who  knows  by  what 
strange  vicissitudes  he  has  come  to  be  colonel  in 
Morocco  ? 

The  other  officers,  meantime,  were  breakfasting 
in  a  room  opening  on  the  court,  all  sitting  in  a  circle 
on  the  floor,  with  the  dishes  in  the  midst.  Seeing 
them  eat,  I  understood  how  it  was  that  the  Moors 
could  do  without  knives  and  forks.  The  neatness 
and  dexterity,  the  precision  with  which  they  pulled 
chickens,  mutton,  game,  and  fish  to  pieces  cannot 
be  described.  With  a  few  rapid  movements  of  the 
hands,  without  the  least  discomposure,  each  one 
took  his  exact  portion.  They  seemed  to  have  nails 
as  sharp  as  razors.  They  dipped  their  fingers  in  the 
saucers,  made  balls  of  the  cusciissu,  ate  salad  by  the 
handful,  and  not  a  morsel  or  crumb  fell  from  the 
dish  ;  and  when  they  rose,  we  saw  that  their  caftans 
were  immaculate.  Every  now  and  then  a  servant 
carried  round  a  basin  and  a  towel  ;  they  gave  them- 
selves a  wash,  and  then  all  together  plunged  their 
paws  into  the  next  dish.  No  one  spoke,  no  one 
raised  his  eyes,  no  one  seemed  to  notice  that  we 
were  looking  on. 


FEZ.  255 

What  officers  they  were,  whether  of  the  staff,  or 
adjutants,  or  chiefs  of  division,  or  what,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  know  in  Morocco.  The  army  is  the  most 
mysterious  of  all  their  mysteries.  They  say,  for 
example,  that  in  case  of  a  holy  war,  when  the 
Djehad  law  shall  be  proclaimed,  which  calls  every 
man  under  arms  who  is  capable  of  bearing  them, 
the  Sultan  can  raise  two  hundred  thousand  soldiers ; 
but  if  they  do  not  know  even  approximately  the 
number  of  the  population  of  the  empire,  on  what  do 
they  base  their  calculations  ?  And  the  standing 
army,  who  knows  how  large  it  is  ?  And  how  can 
any  thing  be  known,  not  only  of  the  numbers,  but 
of  the  regulations,  if,  except  the  chiefs,  no  one 
knows  any  thing,  and  these  latter  either  will  not 
answer,  or  do  not  tell  the  truth,  and  cannot  make 
themselves  understood  ? 

Sid-Abd-Alla,  the  most  courteous  of  hosts,  made 
us  write  all  our  names  in  his  pocket-book,  and  took 
leave  of  us,  pressing  our  hands  one  by  one  to  his 
heart. 

At  the  door  we  were  joined  by  the  blue  giant, 
who,  looking  at  us  with  a  cunning  grin,  said,  in 
good  Italian,  though  with  a  Moorish  accent,  "  Sig- 
nori,  stiano  bene  !  " 

Our  jesting  talk  at  table  flashed  on  our  minds, 
and  we  were  all  struck  dumb.  Finally,  "  Ah,  dog!  " 
cried  Ussi.  But  the  dog  had  already  vanished. 

Our  every  movement  out-of-doors  is  a  military  ex- 
pedition ;  we  must  warn  the  caid,  get  together  the 


256  MOROCCO. 

escort,  send  for  the  interpreters,  order  horses  and 
mules,  and  an  hour  at  least  is  spent  in  preparation. 
Consequently  we  stay  a  great  part  of  the  day  with- 
in. But  the  spectacle  there  largely  rewards  us  for 
our  imprisonment.  There  is  a  continual  procession 
of  red  soldiers,  black  servants,  messengers  from  the 
court,  city  traders,  sick  Moors  in  search  of  the  doc- 
tor, Jewish  rabbins  coming  to  do  homage  to  the  Am- 
bassador, other  Jews  with  bunches  of  flowers,  cou- 
riers with  letters  from  Tangiers,  porters  bringing 
the  muna.  .  In  the  court  are  some  workers  in  mo- 
saic, working  for  Visconti  Venosta  ;  on  the  terrace, 
masons  ;  in  the  kitchens,  a  coming  and  going  of 
cooks  ;  in  the  gardens  are  merchants  spreading 
out  their  stuffs,  and  Signer  Vincent  his  uniforms  ; 
the  doctor  is  swinging  in  a  hammock  slung  between 
two  trees  ;  the  artists  are  painting  before  the  door  of 
their  chamber ;  soldiers  and  servants  are  jumping 
and  shouting  in  the  neighboring  alleys  ;  all  the  foun- 
tains spout  and  trickle  with  a  noise  of  heavy  rain, 
and  hundreds  of  birds  are  warbling  among  the  orange  - 
and  lemon-trees.  The  day  passes  between  ball- 
playing  and  Kaldun's  history  ;  the  evening  with 
chess,  and  singing  directed  by  the  commandant,  first 
tenor  of  Fez.  My  nights  would  be  better  passed  if  it 
were  not  for  the  continual  flitting  to  and  fro,  like  so 

o 

many  phantoms,  of  Mohammed  Ducali's  black  ser- 
vants, who  are  in  a  little  room  adjoining  mine.  The 
doctor  also  sleeps  in  my  room,  and  between  us  \ve 
have  a  poor  wretch  of  an  Arab  servant,  who  makes 


FEZ.  257 

us  die  with  laughter.  They  say  that  he  belongs  to 
a  family  who,  if  not  rich,  are  in  easy  circumstances, 
and  that  he  joined  the  caravan  as  a  servant  at  Tan- 
giers,  in  order  to  make  a  pleasure  trip.  We  had 
hardly  reached  Fez,  the  half  of  his  pleasure  trip, 
when  for  some  trifling  fault  he  caught  a  beating. 
After  that  he  did  his  service  with  furious  zeal.  He 
understands  nothing,  not  even  gestures  ;  and  always 
looks  like  one  frightened  to  death  ;  if  we  ask  for  the 
chess-board,  he  brings  a  spittoon  ;  and  yesterday 
when  the  doctor  wanted  bread,  he  brought  him  a 
crust  that  he  had  picked  up  in  the  garden.  We  may 
try  our  best  to  reassure  him  ;  he  is  afraid  of  us,  tries 
to  mollify  us  with  all  sorts  of  strange  unnecessary 
services,  such  as  changing  the  water  in  our  basins 
three  times  before  we  rise  in  the  morning.  More- 
over, in  order  to  do  a  pleasing  thing,  he  waits  every 
morning  erect  in  the  middle  of  the  room  with  a  cup 
of  coffee  in  his  hand  for  the  doctor  or  me  to  awake, 
and  the  first  one  that  gives  signs  of  life  he  precipi- 
tates himself  upon,  and  thrusts  the  cup  under  his 
nose  with  the  fury  of  one  who  is  administering  an 
antidote.  Another  delightful  personage  is  the  wash- 
erwoman, a  big  woman  with  a  veiled  face,  a  green 
petticoat,  and  red  trousers,  who  comes  to  get  our 
linen,  destined,  alas  !.  to  be  trampled  by  Moors.  It 
is  superfluous  to  say  that  they  iron  nothing  ;  in  all 
Fez  there  does  not  exist  a  smoothing-iron,  and  we 
put  on  our  linen  exactly  as  it  comes  from  under  the 
hoofs  of  the  washermen.  "  Perhaps,"  said  some 


258  MOROCCO. 

one,  "  there  might  be  an  iron  in  the  Mella  ? "  There 
might  be,  but  the  difficulty  is  to  find  it.  There  is  a 
carriage,  but  it  belongs  to  the  Sultan.  It  is  said 

o     '  o 

that  there  is  also  a  piano-forte  ;  it  was  seen  to  come 
into  the  city  some  years  ago,  but  it  is  not  known 
who  possesses  it.  It  is  amusing  also  to  send  to  buy 
something  in  the  shops.  "  A  candle  ?  "  — "  There 
are  none,"  is  the  answer;  "  but  we  will  make  some 
presently."  "  A  yard  of  ribbon  ?  "  — "  It  will  be 
ready  by  to-morrow  evening."  "  Cigars  ?  " •— "  We 
have  the  tobacco,  and  will  have  them  ready  in  an 
hour."  The  vice-consul  spent  several  days  look- 
ing for  an  old  Arabic  book,  and  all  the  Moors  he 
questioned  looked  at  each  other  and  said:  "  A  book  ? 
Who  has  books  in  Fez  ?  There  were  some  once  ; 
if  we  are  not  mistaken,  so  and  so  had  them ;  but  he 
is  dead,  and  we  do  not  know  who  are  his  heirs." 
"  And  Arabic  journals,  or  other  journals,  could  \ve 
have  them  ?"—"  One  single  journal,  printed  in 
Arabic  in  Algiers,  arrives  regularly  at  Fez,  but  it  is 
addressed  to  the  Sultan." 

Yet,  I  have  an  idea  that  we  are  less  than  two 
hundred  miles  from  Gibraltar,  where  probably  this 
evening  they  are  giving  Lucia  di  Lammermoor,  and 
that  in  eight  days  we  could  reach  the  Loggia  dei 
Lanzi  at  Florence.  But  in  spite  of  this  conviction 
I  feel  a  sentiment  of  immense  remoteness.  It  is  not 
miles  but  things  and  people  that  divide  us  most  from 
our  country.  With  what  pleasure  we  tear  off  the 
bands  of  our  journals,  and  break  open  our  letters! 


FEZ.  259 

Poor  letters,  that  fly  from  the  hands  of  the  Carlists 
in  Spain,  pass  through  the  midst  of  the  brigands  of 
the  Sierra- Morena,  overpass  the  peaks  of  the  red 
mountain,  swim,  clasped  in  the  hands  of  a  Bedouin, 
the  waters  of  the  Kus,  the  Sebu,  the  Mechez,  and 
the  River  of  the  Azure  Fountain,  and  bring  us  a  lov- 
ing word  in  this  land  of  reproaches  and  male- 
dictions. 

\Ye  pass  many  hours  in  watching  the  painters 
work.  Ussi  has  made  a  fine  sketch  of  the  great  re- 
ception, in  which  the  figure  of  the  Sultan  is  wonder- 
fully well  done  ;  Biseo,  an  excellent  painter  of  Orien- 
tal architecture,  is  copying  the  fa£ade  of  the  small 
house  in  the  garden.  It  is  worth  while,  for  diver- 
sion, to  hear  the  soldiers  and  shopkeepers  of  Fez 
who  come  to  see  that  picture.  They  come  on  tiptoe 
behind  the  painter,  and  look  over  his  shoulder,  mak- 
ing a  telescope  of  their  hand,  and  then  they  all  be- 
gin to  laugh,  as  if  they  had  discovered  something 
very  odd.  The  great  oddity  is  that  in  the  drawing 
the  second  arch  of  the  fa£ade  is  smaller  than  the 
first,  and  the  third  smaller  than  the  second.  Devoid 
as  they  are  of  any  idea  of  perspective,  they  believe 
that  this  inequality  is  an  error,  and  they  say  that  the 
walls  are  crooked,  that  the  house  totters,  that  the 
door  is  out  of  place,  and  they  are  much  astonished, 
and  go  away  saying  the  artist  is  a  donkey.  Ussi  is 
more  esteemed,  since  it  is  known  that  he  has  been 
at  Cairo,  and  that  he  has  painted  the  departure  of 
the  caravan  for  Mecca  by  the  order  of  the  Viceroy, 


26O  MOKOCCO, 

who  paid  him  fifteen  thousand  scudi.  They  say. 
however,  that  the  Viceroy. was  mad  to  pay  such  a 
sum  for  a  work  on  which  the  artist  had  expended 
perhaps  about  a  hundred  francs  for  colors.  A  mer- 
chant asked  Morteo  if  Ussi  could  paint  furniture 
also.  But  the  best  story  is  about  Biseo,  who  goes 
every  morning  in  New  Fez  to  paint  a  mosque.  He 
goes,  of  course,  escorted  by  five  or  six  soldiers 
armed  with  sticks.  Before  he  has  set  up  his  easel, 
he  is  surrounded  by  about  three  hundred  people,  and 
the  soldiers  are  obliged  to  yell  furiously  and  make 
play  with  their  sticks  to  keep  enough  space  open  for 
him  to  see  the  mosque.  At  every  stroke  of  the 
brush,  a  blow  with  a  stick  ;  but  they  let  themselves 
be  beaten,  and  do  worse.  Every  little  while  a  saint 
appears  with  threatening  gestures,  and  the  soldiers 
keep  him  ofif.  There  are  also  some  progressive  Moors, 
who  come  up  with  friendly  aspect,  look,  approve, 
and  retire  with  signs  of  encouragement.  The  greater 
part  of  these  progressionists,  however,  admire  a 
great  deal  more  the  structure  of  the  easel  and  the 
portable  seat,  than  they  do  the  picture.  One  day  a 
savage-looking  Moor  shook  his  fist  at  the  painter, 
and  then,  turning  to  the  crowd,  made  a  long  speech 
with  excited  voice  and  gestures.  An  interpreter 
explained  that  he  was  exciting  the  people  against 
Biseo,  saying  that  that  dog  had  been  sent  by  the 
king  of  his  country  to  copy  the  finest  mosques  in 
Fez,  so  that  when  the  Christian  army  came  to  bom- 
bard the  place,  they  could  recognize  and  attack  them 


FEZ.  26l 

first.  Yesterday  (I  was  present),  a  ragged  old 
Moor,  a  good-natured  old  rascal,  accosted  him,  ap- 
pearing to  have  a  great  deal  to  say,  and,  bringing 
out  his  words  with  much  difficulty,  he  exclaimed, 
with  emotion,  "  France  !  London  !  Madrid!  Rome!" 
We  were  much  astonished,  as  may  be  supposed,  and 
asked  him  if  he  knew  how  to  speak  French,  Italian, 
or  Spanish.  He  made  signs  that  he  could.  "  Speak, 
then,"  I  said.  He  scratched  his  forehead,  sighed, 
stamped  his  foot,  and  again  exclaimed  "  France ! 
London  !  Madrid !  Rome !  "  and  pointed  toward  the 
horizon.  He  wanted  to  tell  us  that  he  had  seen 
those  countries,  and  perhaps  that  once  he  knew  how 
to  make  himself  understood  in  our  tongues  ;  but  he 
had  forgotten  them  all.  We  put  other  questions  to 
him,  but  could  draw  nothing  from  him  but  those  four 
names.  And  he  went  away  repeating  "  Madrid! 
Rome  !  France  !  London  !  "  as  long  as  we  could  see 
him,  and  saluting  us  affectionately  with  his  hand. 

"  We  find  all  sorts  of  people  here,"  said  Biseo, 
provoked  ;  "  even  originals  who  wish  us  well  and 
like  us,  but  not  a  single  dog  that  will  let  me  paint 
him." 

It  is  true  that  up  to  this  moment  the  utmost  efforts 
of  the  artists  in  that  direction  had  failed.  Even  our 
faithful  Selam  refused. 

"Are  you  afraid  of  the  devil?"   demanded  Ussi. 

"  No,"  he  answered,  with  solemnity  ;  "  I  am 
afraid  of  God." 

We  have  been  up  on  the  top  of  Mount  Zalag — 


262  ^fOROCCO. 

the  commandant,  Ussi,  and  I — guided  by  Captain  de 
Boccard,  a  charming  young  fellow,  equally  admirable 
for  the  activity  of  his  body,  the  strength  of  his  soul, 
and  the  acumen  of  his  intelligence.  We  were  ac- 
companied by  an  officer  of  the  escort,  three  foot- 
soldiers,  three  cavalry  soldiers,  and  three  servants. 
At  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  which  is  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  from  the  northeast  of  the  city,  we  stopped 
to  breakfast :  after  which  the  captain  stuck  an  ap- 
ple on  a  stick,  put  a  scudo  on  the  apple,  and  made 
the  soldiers  and  servants  fire  at  it  with  his  revolver. 
The  prize  was  tempting — they  all  fired  with  much 
care  ;  but  as  it  was  the  first  time  they  had  ever  had 
a  revolver  in  their  hands,  everybody  missed,  and 
the  scudo  was  given  to  the  officer  to  be  divided  be- 
tween them.  It  was  laughable  to  see  the  attitudes 
they  took  when  taking  aim.  One  threw  his  head 
back,  one  bent  forward,  one  put  his  chin  quite  over 
the  trigger,  and  one  stood  on  guard  as  if  fencing 
with  a  sabre.  Accustomed  as  they  were  to  terrible 
attitudes  not  one  knew  how  to  adapt  himself  to  the 
quiet,  easy  position  which  the  captain  tried  to  teach 
them.  A  soldier  came  to  ask  if  we  would  give 
something  to  a  country-woman  who  had  brought  us 
some  milk.  We  said,  Yes,  on  condition  that  the 
woman  came  herself  to  get  it.  She  came.  She  was 
a  black,  deformed  creature,  about  thirty  years  of  age, 
covered  with  rags,  and  in  every  way  repulsive.  She 
came  toward  us  slowly,  covering  her  face  with  one 
hand ;  and  when  about  five  paces  from  us,  turned 


FEZ.  263 

her  back  and  extended  the  other  hand.  The  com- 
mandant was  disgusted.  "  Be  easy,"  he  called  out ; 
"  I  am  not  in  love.  I  shall  not  lose  my  head  ;  I  can 
still  control  myself.  Good  gracious,  what  frightful 
modesty !  " 

We  put  some  money  in  her  hand  ;  she  picked  up 
her  milk-jug,  ran  off  toward  her  hut,  and  at  the 
door  smashed  the  profaned  vessel  against  a  stone. 

We  began  the  ascent  on  foot,  accompanied  by  a 
part  of  the  escort.  The  mountain  is  about  one 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea — steep, 
rocky,  and  without  paths.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
captain  disappeared  among  the  rocks  ;  but  for  the 
commandant,  Ussi,  and  I,  it  was  one  of  the  twelve 
labors  of  Hercules.  We  had  each  an  Arab  at  our 
side,  who  told  us  where  to  place  our  feet  ;  and  at 
some  points  we  were  obliged  to  climb  like  cats, 
clinging  to  bushes  and  grass,  slipping  on  the  rocks, 
stumbling,  and  seizing  the  arms  of  our  guides  as 
drowning  men  seize  a  saving  plank.  Here  and 
there  we  see  a  goat,  seemingly  suspended  above  our 
heads,  so  steep  is  the  ascent ;  and  the  stones  scarce- 
ly touched  roll  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  mountain. 
With  God's  help,  in  an  hour's  time  we  are  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  exhausted,  but  with  whole 
bones.  What  a  lovely  view  !  At  the  bottom,  the 
city,  a  little  white  spot  in  the  form  of  an  eight,  sur- 
rounded by  black  walls,  cemeteries,  gardens,  cube, 
towers,  and  all  the  verdant  shell  that  holds  them  ; 
on  the  left,  a  long,  shining  line,  the  Sebii ;  to  the 


264  MOROCCO. 

right  the  great  plain  of  Fez,  streaked  with  silver  by 
the  Pearl  River  and  the  River  of  the  Azure  Fountain; 
to  the  south,  the  blue  peaks  of  the  great  Atlas  chain; 
to  the  north,  the  mountains  of  the  Rif ;  to  the  east, 
the  vast  undulating  plain  where  is  the  fortress  of 
Teza,  which  closes  the  pass  between  the  basin  of  the 
Sebu  and  that  of  the  Mulaia  ;  below  us,  great  waves 
of  ground  yellow  with  grain  and  barley,  marked 
by  innumerable  paths  and  long  files  of  gigantic 
aloes  ;  a  grandeur  of  lines,  a  magnificence  of  verd- 
ure, a  limpidity  of  sky,  a  silence  and  peace  that 
steeped  the  soul  in  paradise.  Who  would  guess  that 
in  that  terrestrial  paradise  dwelt  and  dosed  a  de- 
crepit people,  chained  on  a  heap  of  ruins.  The 
mountain  that,  seen  from  the  city,  appeared  a  cone, 
has  an  elongated  form,  and  is  rocky  on  the  top.  The 
captain  mounted  to  the  highest  point;  we  three, 
more  careful  of  our  lives,  scattered  ourselves  about 
among  the  rocks  below,  and  went  out  of  sight  of 
each  other.  I  had  made  but  a  few  steps,  when  at 
the  entrance  of  a  little  gorge  I  met  an  Arab.  I 
stopped  ;  he  stopped  also,  and  looked  much  amazed 
at  my  appearance  and  my  being  alone.  He  was  a 
man  of  about  fifty,  of  a  truculent  aspect,  and  armed 
with  a  big  stick.  For  a  moment  I  suspected  that  he 
might  attack  me  and  take  my  purse  ;  but  to  my 
great  astonishment,  instead  of  assailing  me,  he 
saluted  me,  smiled,  and  taking  hold  of  his  own  beard 
with  one  hand,  pointed  to  mine  with  the  other,  and 
said  something,  repeating  it  two  or  three  times.  It 


FEZ.  265 

sounded  like  a  question,  to  which  he  desired  an  an- 
swer. Moved  by  curiosity,  I  called  for  the  officer  of 
the  guard,  who  knew  a  little  Spanish,  and  begged 
him  to  tell  me  what  the  man  wanted.  Who  would 
ever  have  guessed  it?  He  wanted  to  pay  me  a  com- 
pliment, and  had  asked  me  ex  abrupto  why  I  did  noli 
let  my  beard  grow,  when  it  would  be  more  beauti- 
ful than  his  own ! 

The  soldiers  of  the  escort  were  following  us  all 
three  at  about  twenty  paces'  distance,  and  as  we 
frequently  called  to  each  other  in  a  loud  voice,  and 
it  was  the  first  time  that  they  had  heard  our  names, 
they  found  them  strange,  laughing  and  repeating 
them  with  their  Moorish  accent  in  the  oddest  way  : 
"hi!  Amtgi !  "  At  a  certain  point  the  officer 
said,  abruptly,  "  Scut!  "  (Silence  !)  and  they  all 
were  silent.  The  sun  was  high,  the  rocks  were 
scorching  ;  even  the  captain,  accustomed  to  the 
heats  of  Tunis  felt  the  need  of  shade;  we  gave  a 
last  look  at  the  peaks  of  Atlas,  scrambled  down  the 
mountain,  and  hastily  getting  into  our  crimson  sad- 
dles, took  the  way  back  to  Fez,  where  we  had  an 
agreeable  surprise.  The  gate  of  El  Ghisa,  where 
we  were  to  enter  the  city,  was  closed !  "  Let  us  go 
in  by  another,"  said  the  commandant.  "  They  are 
all  closed,"  answered  the  officer  of  the  guard  ;  and 
seeing  us  open  our  eyes,  he  explained  the  mystery, 
saying  that  on  all  festivals  (this  was  Friday),  from 
twelve  o'clock  to  one,  which  is  the  hour  of  prayer, 
all  the  city  gates  are  closed,  because  it  is  a  Mussul- 


266  MOROCCO. 

man  belief  that  exactly  at  that  hour,  but  no  one 
knows  in  what  year,  the  Christians  will  take  pos- 
session of  their  country  by  a  coup  de  main. 

We  had,  then,  to  wait  for  the  opening  of  the  gates  ; 
and  when  at  last  we  got  in,  we  were  received  with 
a  flowery  compliment.  An  old  woman  shook  her 
fist  at  us,  and  muttered  something  which  the  officer 
refused  to  translate  ;  but  we  insisting,  he  finally 
consented,  with  a  smile,  and  an  assurance  that  she 
was  an  old  fool,  and  her  words  could  do  us  no 
harm.  What  she  said  was  this  :  "  The  Jews  to  the 
hook  (to  be  boiled),  the  Christians  to  the  spit !  " 

The  doctor  has  performed  the  operation  for  cata- 
ract, coram  populo,  in  the  garden  of  the  palace. 
There  was  a  crowd  of  relations  and  friends,  soldiers 
and  servants,  part  disposed  in  a  circle  around  the 
patient,  part  ranged  in  a  long  file  from  the  spot 
where  the  operation  was  being  done  to  the  gate  of 
the  street,  where  another  crowd  stood  waiting.  The 
patient  was  an  old  Moor  who  had  been  quite  blind 
for  three  years.  At  the  moment  of  taking  his  seat, 
he  stopped  as  if  frightened  ;  then  sat  down  with  a 
resolute  air,  and  gave  no  further  sign  of  weakness. 
Whilst  the  doctor  operated,  the  people  stood  as  if 
petrified.  The  children  clung  to  their  mothers' 
gowns,  and  the  latter  embraced  each  other  in  atti- 
tudes of  terror,  as  if  they  were  looking  on  at  an 
execution.  Not  a  breath  coula  be  heard.  We  also, 
on  account  of  the  "diplomatic"  importance  of  the 
operation,  were  in  great  anxiety.  All  at  once  the 


FEZ.  26/ 

patient  gave  a  cry  of  joy,  and  threw  himself  on  his 
knees.  He  had  seen  the  first  ray  of  light.  All 
the  people  in  the  garden  saluted  the  doctor  with  a 
yell,  to  which  another  yell  responded  from  those  in 
the  street.  The  soldiers  immediately  made  every- 
body, except  the  patient,  go  out  from  the  precincts 
of  the  palace,  and  in  a  short  time  the  news  of  the 
marvellous  operation  was  all  over  Fez.  Fortunate 
doctor !  He  had  his  reward  that  very  evening, 
when  he  was  called  upon  to  visit  the  harem  of  the 
Grand  Scherif  Bacali,  where  the  loveliest  ladies 
showed  themselves  to  him  with  uncovered  faces, 
and  in  all  the  pomp  of  their  splendid  attire,  and 

talked  languidly  of  their  pains  and  aches 

From  time  to  time  some  renegade  Spaniards  come 
to  see  Senor  Patxot.  There  are  said  to  be  about 
three  hundred  of  these  unfortunate  men  in  the  em- 
pire. Most  of  them  are  Spaniards,  condemned  for 
some  common  crimes,  fugitives  from  the  galleys  of 
the  coast ;  others,  partly  French  deserters,  are  fugi- 
tives from  Algeria  ;  and  the  rest  are  rascals  from  all 
parts  of  Europe.  In  other  times  they  rose  to  high 
positions  in  the  court  and  army,  formed  special  mil- 
itary corps,  and  received  large  pay.  But  now  their 
condition  is  much  changed.  When  they  arrive, 
they  abjure  the  Christian  religion,  and  embrace 
Islamism,  without  circumcision  or  other  ceremony, 
merely  pronouncing'  a  formula.  No  one  cares 
whether  they  fulfil  their  religious  duties  or  not ; 
the  greater  part  of  them  never  enter  a  mosque,  and 


268  MOROCCO. 

know  no  form  of  prayer.  In  order  to  bind  them  to 
the  country,  the  Sultan  exacts  that  they  shall  marry. 
He  gives  to  whoever  wants  her  one  of  his  black 

O 

women  ;  the  others  can  marry  an  Arab  free  woman 
or  a  Moor,  ^.nd  the  Sultan  pays  the  expenses  of  the 
wedding.  They  must  all  be  enrolled  in  the  army  ; 
but  they  can,  at  the  same  time,  exercise  a  trade. 
They  generally  enter  the  artillery,  and  some  belong 
to  the  bands  of  music,  the  head  of  which  is  a  Span- 
iard. The  soldiers  receive  five  sous  a  day,  and  the 
officers  twenty-five  to  thirty ;  if  any  one  has  a 
special  talent,  he  can  make  as  much  as  two  francs  a 
day.  Lately,  for  instance,  they  were  talking  of  a 
German  renegade,  endowed  with  a  certain  talent  for 
mechanics,  who  had  made  for  himself  an  enviable 
position.  This  man,  for  some  reason  unknown,  had 
fled  from  Algeria  in  '73,  and  had  gone  to  Tafilet,  on 
the  confines  of  the  desert  ;  there  he  stayed  two 
years,  learned  Arabic,  and  came  to  Fez,  entered  the 
army,  and  in  a  few  days,  with  some  tools  that  he 
had,  constructed  a  revolver.  The  event  made  a 
noise  ;  the  revolver  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  and 
reached  the  Minister  of  War  ;  the  Minister  told  the 
Sultan,  who  sent  for  the  soldier,  encouraged  him, 
gave  him  ten  francs,  and  raised  his  daily  pay  to  forty 
sous.  But  such  good  fortune  is  rare.  Almost  all 
of  them  live  wretched  lives,  and  their  state  of  mind 
is  such,  that  although  they  are  known  to  be  stained 
with  serious  crimes,  they  inspire  pity  rather  than 
horror.  Yesterday  two  presented  themselves,  ren- 


FEZ.  269 

egades  since  two  years,  with  wives,  and  children 
born  at  Fez.  One  was  thirty,  the  other  fifty  years 
old,  both  Spaniards,  fugitives  from  Ceuta.  The 
younger  one  did  not  speak.  The  elder  said  that  he 
had  been  condemned  to  hard  labor  for  life  for  hav- 
ing killed  a  man  who  was  beating  his  son  to  death. 
He  was  pale,  and  spoke  in  a  broken  voice,  tearing 
his  handkerchief  with  trembling  hands. 

"If  they  would  promise  to  keep  me  only  ten 
years  in  the  galleys,"  he  said,  "  I  would  go  back. 
I  am  fifty,  I  should  come  out  at  sixty,  and  might 
still  live  a  few  years  in  my  own  country.  But  it  is 
the  thought  of  dying  with  the  brand  of  the  galleys 
upon  me  that  frightens  me.  I  would  go  back  at  any 
rate,  if  I  were  sure  of  dying  a  free  man  in  Spain. 
This  is  not  living,  this  existence  that  we  have  here. 
It  is  like  being  in  a  desert.  It  is  frightful.  Every 
one  despises  us.  Our  own  family  is  not  our  own, 
because  our  children  are  taught  ta  hate  us.  And 
then,  we  never  forget  the.  religion  in  which  we  were 
born,  the  church  where  our  mothers  used  to  take  us 
to  pray,  the  counsels  they  gave  us  ;  and  those 
memories — we  are  renegades,  we  are  galley-slaves, 
it  is  true,  but  still  we  are  men  --those  memories 
tear  our  hearts  !  "  and  he  wept  as  he  spoke. 

The  rain  which  has  been  pouring  down  for  three 
days  has  reduced  Fez  to  an  indescribable  and  in- 
credible condition.  It  is  no  longer  a  city  ;  it  is  a 
sewer.  The  streets  are  gutters ;  the  crossings, 
lakes  ;  the  squares,  seas  ;  the  people  on  foot  sink 


270  MOROCCO. 

into  the  mud  up  to  their  knees  ;  the  houses  are 
plastered  with  it  above  the  doors  ;  men,  horses,  and 
mules  look  as  if  they  had  been  rolling  in  mud  ;  and 
as  for  the  dogs,  they  were  at  the  outset  plastered  in 
such  a  way  that  they  have  not  a  hair  visible.  Feu- 
people  are  to  be  seen,  and  those  mostly  on  horse- 
back ;  not  an  umbrella,  or  even  a  person  hastening 
to  escape  the  rain.  Outside  the  quarters  of  the 
bazaars  all  is  depressingly  dark  and  deserted.  Water 
is  running  and  rushing  everywhere,  carrying  with  it 
every  sort  of  putridity,  and  no  voice  or  other  human 
sound  breaks  the  monotony  of  its  deafening  noise. 
It  looks  like  a  city  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants 
after  an  inundation.  After  an  hour's  turn  I  came 
home  in  a  most  melancholy  mood,  and  passed  the 
time  with  my  face  pressed  against  the  window-bars, 
watching  the  dripping  trees,  and  thinking  of  the 
poor  courier,  who  perhaps  at  that  very  moment  was 
swimming  a  flooded  river  at  the  risk  of  his  life  car- 
rying in  his  teeth  the  bag  that  contained  my  letters 
from  home. 

It  is  said,  and  denied,  that  there  has  been  within 
a  few  days  a  capital  execution  before  one  of  the 
gates  of  Fez.  No  head  has  appeared  upon  the 
walls,  however,  and  I  prefer  to  think  the  news  is 
false.  The  description,  which  I  once  read,  of  an 
execution  done  at  Tangiers,  some  years  ago,  de- 
prived me  of  the  barbarous  curiosity  that  I  formerly 
had  to  be  present  at  one  of  these  spectacles. 

An    Englishman,    Mr.  Drummond    Hay,   coming 


FEZ.  2/1 

out  one  morning  at  one  of  the  gates  of  Tangiers, 
saw  a  company  of  soldiers  dragging  along  two 
prisoners  with  their  arms  bound  to  their  sides.  One 
was  a  mountaineer  from  the  Rif,  formerly  gardener 
to  a  European  resident  at  Tangiers  ;  the  other,  a 
handsome  young  fellow,  tall,  and  with  an  open  and 
attractive  countenance. 

The  Englishman  asked  the  officer  in  command 
what  crime  these  two  unfortunate  men  had  com- 
mitted. 

"  The  Sultan,"  was  the  answer, — "may  God  pro- 
long his  days ! — has  ordered  their  heads  to  be  cut 
off  because  they  have  been  engaged  in  contraband 
trade,  on  the  coast  of  the  Rif,  with  infidel  Spaniards." 

"  It  is  a  very  severe  punishment  for  such  a  fault," 
observed  the  Englishman  ;  "  and  if  it  is  to  serve  as 
a  warning  and  example  to  the  inhabitants  of  Tan- 
giers, why  are  they  not  allowed  to  be  present  at  it?" 

(The  gates  of  the  city  had  been  closed,  and  Mr. 
Drummond  Hay  had  caused  one  to  be  opened  for 
him  by  giving  some  money  to  the  guard.) 

"  Do  not  argue  with  me,  Nazarene  !  "  responded 
the  officer  ;  "I  have  received  an  order,  and  must 
obey." 

The  decapitation  was  to  take  place  in  the  Hebrew 
slaughter-house.  A  Moor  of  vulgar  and  hideous 
aspect,  dressed  like  a  butcher,  was  there  awaiting 
the  condemned.  He  had  in  his  hand  a  small  knife, 
about  six  inches  long.  He  was  a  stranger  in  the 
city,  and  had  offered  himself  as  executioner,  because 


2/2  MOROCCO. 

the  Mohammedan  butchers  of  Tangiers,  who  usually 
fill  that  office,  had  all  taken  refuge  in  a  mosque. 

An  altercation  now  broke  out  between  the  sol- 
diers and  the  executioner  about  the  reward  prom- 
ised for  the  decapitation  of  the  two  poor  creatures, 
who  stood  by  and  listened  to  the  dispute  over  the 
blood-money.  The  executioner  insisted,  declaring 
that  he  had  been  promised  twenty  francs  a  head,  and 
must  have  forty  for  the  two.  The  officer  at  last 
agreed,  but  with  a  very  ill  grace.  Then  the  butcher 
seized  one  of  the  condemned  men,  already  half  dead 
with  terror,  threw  him  on  the  ground,  kneeled  on  his 
chest,  and  put  the  knife  to  his  throat.  The  English- 
man turned  away  his  face.  He  heard  the  sounds 
of  a  violent  struggle.  The  executioner  cried  out : 
"Give  me  another  knife;  mine  does  not  cut!" 
Another  knife  was  brought,  and  the  head  separated 
from  the  body. 

The  soldiers  cried,  in  a  faint  voice,  "  God  prolong 
the  life  of  our  lord  and  master !  "  But  many  of  them 
were  stupefied  with  terror. 

Then  came  the  other  victim  :  the  handsome  and 
amiable-looking  young  man.  Again  they  wrangled 
over  his  blood.  The:  officer,  denying  his  promise, 
declared  he  would  give  but  twenty  francs  for  both 
heads.  The  butcher  was  forced  to  yield.  The  con- 
demned man  asked  that  his  hands  might  be  un- 
bound. Being  loosed,  he  took  his  cloak  and  gave  it 
to  the  soldier  who  had  unbound  him,  saying :  "Ac- 
cept this  ;  we  shall  meet  in  a  better  world  !  "  He 


FEZ.  273 

threw  his  turban  to  another,  who  had  been  looking 
iit  him  with  compassion,  and  stepping  to  the  place 
where  lay  the  bloody  corpse  of  his  companion,  he 
said,  in  a  clear,  firm  voice,  "  There  is  no  God  but 
God,  and  Mahomet  is  His  prophet !  "  Then  taking 
off  his  belt  he  gave  it  to  the  executioner,  saying: 
"  Take  it  ;  but  for  the  love  of  God  cut  my  head  off 
more  quickly  than  you  did  my  brother's."  He 
stretched  himself  on  the  earth,  in  the  blood,  and  the 
executioner  kneeled  upon  his  chest. 

"  A  reprieve  !  Stop  !  "  cried  the  Englishman.  A 
horseman  came  galloping  toward  them.  The  execu- 
tioner held  his  knife  suspended. 

"  It  is  only  the  governor's  son,"  said  a  soldier. 
"  He  is  coming  to  see  the  execution.  Wait  for 
him." 

Sc  it  was,  indeed.  A  few  minutes  after  two 
bleeding  heads  were  held  up  by  the  soldiers.  Then 
the  gates  of  the  city  were  opened,  and  there  came 
forth  a  crowd  of  boys,  who  pursued  the  executioner 
with  stones  for  three  miles,  when  he  fell  fainting  to 
the  ground,  covered  with  wounds.  The  next  day  it 
was  known  that  he  had  been  shot  by  a  relation  of 
one  of  the  victims,  and  buried  where  he  fell.  The 
authorities  of  Tangiers  apparently  did  not  trouble 
themselves  about  the  matter,  since  the  assassin  came 
back  into  the  city  and  remained  unmolested. 

After  having  been  exposed  three  days,  the  heads 
were  sent  to  the  Sultan  in  order  that  his  Imperial 
Majesty  might  recognize  the  promptitude  with  which 


2/4  MOROCCO. 

his  orders  had  been  fulfilled.  The  soldiers  who  were 
carrying  them  met  on  their  way  a  courier,  bearing  a 
pardon,  who  had  been  detained  by  the  sudden 
flooding  of  a  river. 

I  frequently  find  merchants  of  Fez  who  have  been 
in  Italy.  Forty  or  fifty  of  them  go  there  every 
year,  and  many  have  Moorish  or  Arab  agents  in 
our  cities.  They  go  particularly  to  Upper  Italy, 
where  they  buy  raw  silks,  damasks,  corals,  velvets, 
threads,  porcelain,  pearls,  Venice  glass,  Genoa  play- 
ing-cards, and  Leghorn  muslin.  In  exchange  they 
carry  nothing  but  wax  and  wool,  for  trade  in  Moroc- 
co is  much  restricted  ;  and  it  may  be  said  that  stuffs, 
arms,  hides,  and  earthen-ware  or  pottery  are  their 
only  productions  which  attract  a  European's  atten- 
tion. The  stuffs  are  made  chiefly  in  Fez  and  Moroc- 
co. There  are  caics  for  women,  lordly  turbans, 
sashes,  foulards  of  silk  delicately  woven  with  gold 
and  silver,  generally  in  stripes  of  soft  and  harmoni- 
ous colors,  very  pretty  at  first  sight,  but  unequal 
when  examined,  full  of  gum,  and  not  wearing  well. 
The  red  caps,  on  the  contrary,  which  take  the  name 
from  Fez,  are  very  fine  and  durable,  and  the  carpets 
made  at  Rabat,  Casa  Bianca,  Morocco,  Sciadma,  and 
Sciania  are  admirable  for  solidity  and  richness  of 
color.  From  Tetuan  come  in  great  part  the  damas- 
cened muskets,  inlaid  with  ivory  and  silver,  carved, 
and  set  with  precious  stones,  of  light  and  elegant 
form  ;  and  Mechinez,  and  Fez,  and  the  province  of 
Sus  make  the  swords  and  daggers  which  are  some- 
times of  such  admirable  workmanship. 


FEZ.  275 

Hides,  the  principal  source  of  gain  for  the  coun- 
try, are  well  prepared  in  various  provinces,  and  the 
scarlet  leather  of  Fez,  the  yellow  of  Morocco,  and 
the  green  of  Tafilet,  are  still  worthy  of  their  ancient 
reputation.  In  Fez  they  boast  particularly  of  their 
enamelled  pottery,  but  it  is  rare  to  find  the  noble 
purity  of  form  of  the  antique  vase  ;  and  their  chief 
merit  is  a  brilliancy  of  color,  and  a  certain  barbaric 
originality  of  design  which  attract  the  eye  but  do 
not  satisfy  it.  There  are  also  in  Fez  a  great  num- 
ber of  jewellers  and  goldsmiths,  who  make  some 
simple  things  in  very  good  taste,  but  few,  and  of  lit- 
tle variety,  because  the  Amalechite  rite  proscribes 
the  display  of  precious  ornaments,  as  contrary  to 
Mahometan  austerity.  More  notable  than  the  jew- 
elery  is  the  furniture  which  comes  from  Tetuan  : 
book-shelves,  clothes-pegs,  and  little  polygonal  tea- 
tables,  arched,  arabesqued,  and  painted  in  many 
colors  ;  copper  vessels  also,  chased  in  complicated 
designs  and  ornamented  with  green,  red,  and  blue 
enamel ;  and,  above  all,  the  mosaics  of  the  pave- 
ments and  walls,  composed  in  exquisite  taste  by 
clever  workmen,  who  form  the  designs  with  marvel- 
lous precision. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  these  people  are  endowed 
with  admirable  faculties,  and  that  their  industries 
would  increase  immensely,  as  also  their  agriculture, 
which  was  once  so  flourishing,  if  commerce  could 
make  them  live  ;  but  commerce  is  hampered  with  a 
thousand  prohibitions,  restrictions,  monopolies,  ex- 


2/6  MOROCCO. 

cessive  tariffs,  continual  modifications  and  the  non- 
observance  of  treaties  ;  and,  although  the  European 
governments  have  obtained  many  privileges  of  late 
years,  these  are  but  small  in  comparison  with  what 
might  be  brought  about,  thanks  to  the  wealth  and 
geographical  position  of  the  country, under  a  civil  gov- 
ernment. The  principal  trade  is  that  with  England, 
after  which  come  France  and  Spain,  who  give  cereals, 
metals,  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  raw  silk,  woollen  and  cot- 
ton cloths,  and  take  wool,  hides,  fruit,  leeches,  gum, 
wax,  and  a  great  part  of  the  products  of  Central 
Africa.  The  trade  which  is  carried  on  by  Fez,  Taza 
and  Udjda  (and  it  is  not  of  small  importance,  though 
less  than  that  which  the  neighborhood  of  the  two 
countries  should  produce)  comprehends,  besides 
carpets,  the  cloths,  belts,  thick  cords,  and  all  the 
parts  of  the  Arab  and  Moorish  dress,  bracelets  and 
anklets  of  silver  and  gold,  vases  from  Fez,  mosaics, 
perfumes,  incense,  antimony  for  the  eyes,  henna  for 
the  nails,  and  all  the  other  cosmetics  used  by  the 
fair  sex  of  Africa.  Of  more  importance,  more  an- 
cient, and  more  regular,  is  the  commerce  with  the 
interior  of  Africa,  for  which  place  every  year  great 
caravans  go  forth,  carrying  stuffs  from  Fez,  English 
cloths,  Venetian  glass,  Italian  corals,  powder,  arms, 
tobacco,  sugar,  small  mirrors  from  Germany,  feathers 
from  Holland,  little  boxes  from  the  Tyrol,  hardware 
from  England  and  France,  and  salt,  which  they 
get  on  their  way  in  the  Sahara  ;  and  their  journey 
is  like  a  travelling  fair,  where  their  own  merchandise 


FEZ.  277 

is  exchanged  for  black  slaves,  gold  dust,  ostrich 
feathers,  white  gum  from  Senegal,  gold  ornaments 
from  Nigritia,  which  are  afterward  sent  to  Europe 
and  the  East  ;  black  stuffs  which  are  worn  on  the 
heads  of  Moorish  women  ;  bezoar,  which  preserves 
the  Arabs  from  poison  and  illness  ;  and  many  drugs 
which  have  been  abandoned  in  Europe,  but  preserve 
their  ancient  value  in  Africa.  Here  is,  for  Europe, 
the  chief  importance  of  Morocco  :  it  is  the  principal 
gate  of  Nigritia ;  where,  being  open,  the  commerce 
of  Europe  and  that  of  Central  Africa  will  meet. 
Meanwhile,  civilization  and  barbarism  contend  upon 
the  threshold. 

The  Ambassador  has  frequent  conferences  with 
Sid-Moussa.  His  principal  intent  is  to  obtain  from 
the  government  of  the  scherifs  certain  conces- 
sions in  trade  by  which  Italy  shall  be  the  gainer: 
more  I  may  not  say.  These  conferences  last  more 
than  two  hours  ;  but  the  conversation  turns  but 
briefly  upon  the  real  question  in  discussion,  because 
the  Minister,  following  a  custom  which  seems  tra- 
ditional in  the  policy  of  the  government  of  Moroc- 
co, never  comes  to  the  point  until  he  has  wandered 
over  a  hundred  extraneous  subjects,  and  when  he  is 
dragged  to  it  by  force.  "  Let  us  talk  a  little  about 
something  entertaining,"  he  says,  in  almost  a  be- 
seeching tone.  The  weather,  health,  the  water  of 
Fez,  the  properties  of  certain  tissues,  some  histori- 
cal anecdotes,  some  proverbs,  what  may  be  the  pop- 
ulation of  certain  states  of  Europe  :  all  these  are 


2/8  JlfOA'OCCO. 

more  agreeable  subjects  than  the  one  which  is  the 
purpose  of  the  interview.  "  What  do  you  say  of 
Fez  ?  "  he  asked  one  day  ;  and  being  answered  that 
it  was  beautiful,  he  added  :  "  And  it  has  another 
merit  ;  it  is  clean  ! "  Another  day  he  wished  to 
know  what  was  the  population  of  Morocco.  But  at 
last,  the  business  must  come  ;  and  then  there  are 
long  phrases,  hesitations,  reticences,  silences,  a  put- 
ting forth  of  doubts  when  consent  is  already  de- 
cided upon,  a  pretended  denial  of  condescension,  a 
slipping  through  the  fingers,  a  constant  dropping  of 
the  subject  just  as  the  knot  is  about  to  be  tight- 
ened, and  then  the  eternal  expedient  "  to-morrow." 
The  next  day,  recapitulation  of  things  said  the 
day  before,  new  doubts,  restrictions,  recognition  of 
equivocations,  regrets  for  not  having  understood, 
and  for  not  having  been  understood,  and  exhaus- 
tion of  the  interpreter  charged  with  the  duty  of 
making  things  clear.  And  then  it  is  necessary  to 
wait  for  the  return  of  the  couriers  from  Tangiers 
and  Tafilet,  who  have  been  sent  to  obtain  informa- 
tion— information  of  little  consequence,  but  which 
serves  to  put  off  the  solution  of  the  question  for  ten 
days  longer.  And  in  fine,  three  great  obstacles  to 
every  thing  :  the  fanaticism  of  the  people,  the  ob- 
stinacy of  the  Ulemas,  and  the  necessity  of  pro- 
ceeding cautiously,  not  exciting  attention,  with  a 
slowness  that  looks  like  immobility.  Under  these 
conditions,  Job  himself  might  be  expected  to  cry 
out ;  but  then  come  the  warm  pressures  of  the 


FEZ.  279 

hand,  the  sweet  smiles,  the  demonstrations  of  an  ir- 
resistible sympathy,  and  an  affection  that  will  only 
end  in  death.  The  most  difficult  affair  is  that  of 
the  big  Moor  Schellal,  and  they  say  that  the  fate  of 
his  whole  life  depends  upon  it ;  consequently  he  is 
for  ever  at  the  palace,  wrapped  in  his  ample  caic, 
anxious,  thoughtful,  sometimes  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  and  he  keeps  them  fixed  upon  the  Ambassa- 
dor with  a  supplicating  look,  like  that  of  one  con- 
demned to  death  and  begging  for  reprieve.  Mo- 
hammed Ducali,  on  the  contrary,  whose  sails  are 
swelled  by  favoring  gales,  is  gay  and  sprightly,  per- 
fumes himself,  smokes,  changes  his  caftan  every 
day,  and  strews  on  all  sides  his  soft  words,  and 
jests,  and  smiles."  Ah!  if  it  were  not  for  Italian 
influence,  how  soon  those  smiles  would  be  changed 
into  tears  of  blood  ! 

We  are  experiencing  in  these  days  the  truth  of 
what  was  told  us  at  Tangiers  with  regard  to  the  ef- 
fects of  the  air  of  Fez.  Are  these  effects  produced 
by  the  air  or  by  the  water  ?  or  by  the  rascally  oil ; 
or  by  the  infamous  butter  ;  or  by  all  these  things 
together  ;  However  it  may  be,  it  is  a  fact  that  we 
are  all  ill.  Languor,  loss  of  appetite,  prostration  of 
strength,  and  heaviness  of  head.  And  with  all 
these  ill-feelings  there  is  a  weariness,  an  irritability, 
a  sort  of  horror,  that  in  a  few  days  has  changed 
the  face  of  the  whole  house.  Every  one  longs  for 
departure.  We  have  reached  that  point,  inevitable 
in  all  long  journeys,  at  which  curiosity  is  dulled  ; 


28O  MOKOCCO. 

every  thing  seems  faded  :  memories  of  home  rise  up 
in  crowds  ;  all  the  longings,  kept  down  at  first,  are 
alive  and  in  tumult  ;  and  our  own  country  is  ever 
before  our  eyes.  We  have  had  enough  of  turbans, 
and  black  faces,  and  mosques  ;  we  are  tired  of  be- 
ing stared  at  by  a  thousand  eyes  ;  bored  by  this 
immense  masquerade  in  white  at  which  we  have 
been  looking  for  two  months.  What  would  we  not 
give  to  see  pass  by,  even  at  a  distance,  a  European 
lady !  to  hear  the  sound  of  a  bell !  to  see  on  a  wall 
a  printed  play-bill!  Oh,  sweetest  memories! 

I  have  discovered  among  the  soldiers  of  the  guard 
one  who  has  lost  his  right  ear,  and  am  told  that  it 
was  legally  cut  off,  in  presence  of  witnesses,  by 
another  soldier  whose  ear  the  first  one  had  muti- 
lated some  time  before.  Such  is  the  lex  talionis  as 
it  exists  in  Morocco.  Not  only  has  any  relation  of 
a  person  killed  the  right  to  kill  the  assassin  on  the 
same  day  of  the  week,  at  the  same  hour  and  place 
where  the  victim  fell,  using  the  same  weapon,  and 
striking  in  the  same  part  of  the  body  ;  but  whoever 
has  been  deprived  of  a  limb  has  the  right  to  de- 
prive his  assailant  of  the  same  limb.  A  fact  of  this 
nature,  accompanied  by  very  singular  circumstances, 
happened  some  years  ago  at  Mogador,  and  was 
related  to  me  by  a  member  of  the  French  Consu- 
late, who  knew  one  of  the  victims.  An  English 
merchant  of  Mogador  was  returning  to  the  city  on 
the  evening  of  a  market-day,  at  the  moment  when 
the  gate  by  which  he  was  entering  was  encumbered 


2*1 

with  a  crow-1  of  country  people  driving  camels  and 
asses.  Although  the  Englishman  called  out  as  loud 
as  he  could,  "  Bal-ak  !  bal-ak  /  "  (Make  way!)  an 
old  woman  was  struck  by  his  horse  and  knocked 
down,  falling  with  her  face  upon  a  stone.  Ill 
fortune  would  have  it  that  in  the  fall  she  broke  the 
two  last  of  her  front  teeth.  She  was  stunned  for  an 
instant,  and  then  rose  convulsed  with  rage,  and 

o     ' 

broke  out  into  insults  and  ferocious  maledictions, 
following  the  Englishman  to  his  own  door.  She 
then  went  before  the  caid,  and  demanded  that  in 
virtue  of  the  law  of  talion  he  should  order  the  Eng- 
lish merchant's  two  front  teeth  to  be  broken.  The 
caid  tried  to  pacify  her,  and  advised  her  to  pardon 
the  injury  ;  but  she  would  listen  to  nothing,  and  he 
sent  her  away  with  a  promise  that  she  should  have 
justice,  hoping  that  when  her  anger  should  be  ex- 
hausted she  would  herself  desist  from  her  pursuit. 
But,  three  days  having  passed,  the  old  woman  came 
back  more  furious  than  ever,  demanded  justice,  and 
insisted  that  a  formal  sentence  should  be  pronounced 
against  the  Christian. 

"  Remember,"  said  she  to  the  caid,   "  thou  didst 
a  promise  me  !  " 

"C/ie/"  responded  the  caid.  "Dost  thou  take  me 
for  a  Christian,  that  I  should  be  the  slave  of  my  word  ? " 

Every  day  for  a  month  the  old  woman,  athirst  for 
vengeance,  presented  herself  at  the  door  of  the 
citadel,  and  yelled,  and  cursed,  and  made  such  a 
noise,  that  the  caid,  to  be  rid  of  her,  was  obliged  to 


282  MOROCCO. 

consent.  He  sent  for  the  merchant,  explained  the 
case,  the  right  which  the  law  gave  the  woman,  the 
duty  imposed  upon  himself,  and  begged  him  to  put 
an  end  to  the  matter  by  allowing  two  of  his  teeth 
to  be  removed,  any  two,  although  in  strict  justice 
they  should  be  two  incisors.  The  Englishman  re- 
fused absolutely  to  part  with  incisors,  or  eye-teeth, 
or  molars  ;  and  the  caid  was  constrained  to  send 
the  old  woman  packing,  ordering  the  guard  not  to 
let  her  put  her  foot  in  the  Casba  again. 

"  Very  well,"  said  she  ;  "since  there  are  none  but 
degenerate  Mussulmans  here,  since  justice  is  re- 
fused to  a  Mussulman  woman,  mother  of  scherifs, 
against  an  infidel  dog,  I  will  go  to  the  Sultan,  and 
we  shall  see  whether  the  prince  of  the  faithful  will 
deny  the  law  of  the  Prophet." 

True  to  her  determination,  she  started  on  her 
journey  alone,  with  an  amulet  in  her  bosom,  a  stick 
in  her  hand,  and  a  bag  around  her  neck,  and  made 
on  foot  the  hundred  leagues  which  separate  Moga- 
dor  from  the  sacred  city  of  the  empire.  Arrived  at 
Fez,  she  sought  and  obtained  audience  of  the  Sultan, 
laid  her  case  before  him,  and  demanded  the  right 
accorded  by  the  Koran,  the  application  of  the  law., 
of  retaliation.  The  Sultan  exhorted  her  to  forgive  ; 

o 

she  insisted.  All  the  serious  difficulties  which  op- 
posed themselves  to  the  satisfaction  of  her  petition 
were  laid  before  her  ;  she  remained  inexorable.  A 
sum  of  money  was  offered*her,  with  which  she  could 
live  in  comfort  for  the  rest  of  her  days ;  she  re- 
fused it. 


FEZ.  283 

"  What  do  I  want  with  your  money  ?  "  said  she  ; 
••  I  am  old,  and  accustomed  to  live  in  poverty  ;  what 
I  want  is  the  two  teeth  of  the  Christian  ;  I  want 
them,  I  demand  them  in  the  name  of  the  Koran  ; 
and  the  Sultan,  prince  of  the  faithful,  head  of  Islam- 
ism,  father  of  his  subjects,  cannot  refuse  justice  to  a 
true  believer." 

Her  obstinacy  put  the  Sultan  in  a  most  embarras- 
sing position  ;  the  law  was  formal,  and  her  right  in- 
contestable ;  and  the  ferment  of  the  populace,  stirred 
up  by  the  woman's  fanatical  declamations,  rendered 
refusal  perilous.  The  Sultan,  who  was  Abd-er- 
'Rhaman,  wrote  to  the  English  consul,  asking  as  a 
favor  that  he  would  induce  his  countryman  to  allow 
two  of  his  teeth  to  be  broken.  The  merchant  an- 
swered the  consul  that  he  would  never  consent. 
Then  the  Sultan  wrote  again,  saying  that  if  he 
would  consent  he  would  grant  him,  as  a  recompense, 
any  commercial  privilege  that  he  chose  to  ask.  This 
time,  touched  in  his  purse,  the  merchant  yielded. 
The  old  woman  left  Fez,  blessing  the  name  of  the 
pious  Abd-er-Rhaman,  and  went  back  to  Mogador, 
where,  in  the  presence  of  many  people,  the  two 
teeth  of  the  Nazarene  were  broken.  When  she  saw 
them  fall  to  the  ground  she  gave  a  yell  of  triumph, 
and  picked  them  up  with  a  fierce  joy.  The  mer- 
chant, thanks  to  the  privileges  that  had  been  ac- 
corded him,  made  in  the  two  following  years  so 
handsome  a  fortune  that  he  went  back  to  England, 
toothless,  but  happy. 


284  MOROCCO. 

The  more  I  study  these  Moors,  the  more  I  am  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  judgment  unanimously 
passed  upon  them  by  travellers  is  not  far  from  the 
truth,  and  that  they  are  a  race  of  vipers  and  foxes- 
false,  pusillanimous,  cringing  to  the  powerful,  inso- 
lent to  the  weak,  gnawed  by  avarice,  devoured  by 
egotism,  and  burning  with  the  basest  passions  of 
which  the  human  heart  is  capable.  How  could  they 
be  otherwise  ?  The  nature  of  the  government  and 
the  state  of  society  permit  them  no  manly  ambition. 
They  traffic  and  bargain,  but  they  have  no  knowl- 
edge of  the  labor  that  begets  fatigue  of  body  and  se- 
renity of  mind  ;  they  are  completely  ignorant  of  any 
pleasure  that  is  derived  from  the  exercise  of  the  in- 
telligence ;  they  take  no  care  for  the  education  of 
their  sons  ;  they  have  no  high  aims  in  life  ;  there- 
fore they  give  themselves  up,  with  all  their  souls, 
and  for  their  whole  lives,  to  the  amassing  of  money; 
and  the  time  that  is  left  to  them  from  this  pursuit 
they  divide  between  a  sleepy  indolence  that  ener- 
vates, and  sensual  pleasures  that  brutalize  them.  In 
this  life  of  effeminacy  they  naturally  become  vain, 
small,  malignant,  tattling  creatures  ;  lacerating  each 
other's  reputation  with  spiteful  rage  ;  lying  by  habit 
with  an  incredible  impudence  ;  affecting  charitable 
and  pious  sentiments,  and  sacrificing  a  friend  for  a 
scudo  ;  despising  knowledge,  and  accepting  the 
most  puerile  superstitions ;  bathing  every  day,  and 
keeping  masses  of  filth  in  the  recesses  of  their 
houses  ;  and  adding  to  all  this  a  satanic  pride,  con- 


NEGKU  bLAVE  OF  FEZ 


FEZ.  285 

cealed,  when  convenient,  under  a  manner  both  dig- 
nified and  humble,  which  seems  the  index  of  an  hon- 
orable mind.  They  deceived  me  in  this  way  at  first ; 
but  now  I  am  persuaded  that  the  very  least  of  them 
believes,  in  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  that  he  is  infi- 
nitely superior  to  us  all.  The  nomadic  Arab  pre- 
serves at  least  the  austere  simplicity  of  his  antique 
customs,  and  the  Berber,  savage  as  he  is,  has  a  war- 
like spirit,  courage,  and  love  of  independence.  Only 
these  Moors  have  within  them  a  combination  of  bar- 
barism, depravity,  and  pride,  and  are  the  most  pow- 
erful of  the  populations  of  the  empire.  From  them 
come  the  merchants,  the  ulemas,  the  tholbas,  the 
caitls,  the  pashas  ;  they  possess  the  rich  palaces,  the 
great  harems,  beautiful  women,  and  hidden  treas- 
ures. They  are  recognizable  by  their  fat,  their  fair 
complexions,  their  cunning  eyes,  their  big  turbans, 
their  majestic  walk,  their  arrogance,  and  their  per- 
fumes. 

We  have  been  to  take  tea  at  the  house  of  the 
Moor  Schellal.  We  entered  by  a  narrow  corridor 
into  a  small  dark  court,  but  beautiful — beautiful  and 
filthy  as  the  filthiest  house  in  the  ghetto  of  Alkazar. 
Except  the  mosaics  of  the  pavement  and  pilasters, 
every  thing  was  black,  encrusted,  sticky  with  dirt. 
There  were  two  little  dark  rooms  on  the  ground- 
floor  ;  round  the  first-floor  ran  a  light  gallery,  and 
on  the  top  was  the  parapet  of  the  terrace.  The  big 
Moor  made  us  sit  down  before  the  door  of  his  sleep- 
ing-room, gave  us  tea  and  sweetmeats,  burned 


236  MOROCCO. 

aloes,  sprinkled  us  with  rose-water,  and  presented 
his  children  to  us — two  pretty  boys,  who  came  to  us 
white  with  terror,  trembling  like  leaves  under  our 
caresses.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  court  there 
was  a  black  slave-girl  of  about  fifteen,  having  on  only 
a  sort  of  chemise,  which  was  open  at  the  side  as  far 
up  as  the  hip,  and  confined  round  the  waist  with  a 
girdle,  the  slenderest,  the  most  elegant,  the  most  se- 
ductive female  creature  (I  attest  it  on  the  head  of 
Ussi)  that  I  had  seen  in  all  Morocco.  She  was 
leaning  against  a  pilaster  with  her  arms  crossed  on 
her  bosom,  looking  at  us  with  an  air  of  supreme  in- 
difference. Presently  there  came  out  of  a  small 
door  another  black  woman,  of  about  thirty  years  of 
age,  tall  in  stature,  of  an  austere  countenance,  and 
robust  figure,  straight  as  a  palm-tree  ;  who,  as  it 
seemed,  must  have  been  a  favorite  with  her  master, 
for  she  advanced  familiarly,  whispered  some  words 
in  his  ear,  pulled  out  a  small  bit  of  straw  that  was 
stuck  in  his  beard,  and  pressed  her  hand  upon  his 
lips  with  an  action  at  once  listless  and  caressing  that 
made  the  Moor  smile.  Looking  up,  we  saw  the 
gallery  on  the  first-floor  and  the  parapet  of  the  ter- 
race fringed  with  women's  heads,  which  instantly 
disappeared.  It  was  impossible  for  them  all  to  be- 
long to  that  house.  The  visit  of  the  Christians  had 
no  doubt  been  announced  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
friends  from  other  terraces  had  come  over  to  Schel- 
lal's  terrace.  Just  as  we  were  gazing  upward,  three 
ghost-like  forms  passed  by  us,  their  heads  entirely 


FEZ.  287 

concealed,  and  vanished  through  the  small  door.  They 
were  three  friends,  who,  not  being  able  to  come  by 
the  terraces,  had  been  forced  to  resign  themselves  to 
enter  by  the  door  ;  and  a  moment  after,  their  heads 
appeared  above  the  railing  of  the  gallery.  The 
house,  in  short,  had  been  converted  into  a  theatre, 
and  we  were  the  spectacle.  The  veiled  spectators 
prattled,  and  with  much  low  laughter,  popped  up 
their  heads,  and  withdrew  them  again  as  if  they  had 
flown  away.  Each  one  of  our  movements  produced 
a  slight  murmur  ;  every  time  one  of  us  raised  his 
head  there  was  a  great  tumult  in  the  first  row  of 
boxes.  It  was  evident  that  they  were  much  enter- 
tained, that  they  were  gathering  material  for  a 
month's  conversation,  and  that  they  could  scarcely 
contain  themselves  for  delight  at  finding  themselves 
so  unexpectedly  in  the  enjoyment  of  so  strange  and 
rare  a  spectacle  !  And  we  complacently  obliged 
them  for  about  an  hour — silent,  however,  and  much 
bored,  an  effect  produced,  after  a  time,  by  every 
Moorish  house,  however  courteous  its  hospitality. 

And  then,  after  you  have  admired  the  beautiful 
mosaics,  the  handsome  slaves,  and  pretty  children, 
you  look  about  instinctively  for  the  person  who  is 
the  incarnation  of  domestic  life,  who  represents  the 
courtesy  and  honorability  of  the  house,  who  puts  the 
seal  on  its  hospitality,  who  gives  its  tone  to  the  con- 
versation, who  represents  to  your  mind  the  altar  of 
the  lares, — you  seek,  in  short,  the  pearl  for  this 
shell  ;  and  seeing  no  one  but  women  who  have 


288  MOROCCO 

their  master's  embraces  without  his  affection,  and 
children  of  unknown  mothers,  and  the  whole  house 
personified  in  one  being  only,  its  hospitality  be- 
comes a  mere  empty  ceremony  ;  and  in  your  host, 
instead  of  the  sympathetic  features  of  an  honored 
friend,  you  see  only  the  aspect  of  a  sensual  and 
odious  egotist. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  these  people,  if  they  do  not 
hate  us  absolutely,  at  least  cannot  endure  us,  and 
they  are  not  without  some  good  reasons.  Being 
among  the  descendants  of  the  Moors  of  Spain,  many 
of  them  still  preserve  the  keys  of  cities  in  Andalu- 
sia, and  titles  to  the  possession  of  lands  and  houses 
in  Seville  and  Granada,  and  their  aversion  to  Span- 
iards is  peculiarly  acrid,  their  fathers  having  been 
despoiled  and  driven  out  by  them.  All  the  others 
nourish  a  general  hatred  to  all  Christians,  not  only 
because  this  hatred  is  instilled  into  them  in  their 
schools  and  mosques  from  their  earliest  infancy,  with 
the  purpose  of  rendering  any  commerce  with  civil- 
ized races  odious  to  them,  commerce  which,  scatter- 
ing ignorance  and  superstition,  would  undermine 
the  foundations  of  the  empire  ;  but  because  they  all 
have  in  the  bottom  of  their  souls  a  vague  suspicion 
of  an  expansive,  growing,  threatening  force  in  the 
states  of  Europe,  by  which,  sooner  or  later,  they 
will  be  crushed.  They  hear  the  rising  murmur  of 
the  French  upon  their  eastern  frontier ;  they  see  the 
Spaniards  fortified  on  their  Mediterranean  coast ; 
Tangiers  is  occupied  by  an  advanced  guard  of  Chris- 


FEZ.  289 

tians  ;  the  cities  of  the  west  are  guarded  by  a  line  of 
European  merchants,  stretching  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  like  a  chain  of  sentinels  ;  ambassadors  come 
into  the  country  from  different  directions,  apparently, 
to  bring  gifts  to  the  Sultan,  but,  in  reality,  as  they 
believe,  to  look,  and  scrutinize,  and  pry,  and  corrupt, 
and  prepare  the  ground  ;  they  hear,  in  short,  a  per- 
petual threat  of  invasion,  and  imagine  this  invasion 
accompanied  by  all  the  horrors  of  hatred  and  re- 
venge, persuaded  as  they  are,  that  Christians  nour- 
ish against  Moors  the  same  sentiments  which  the 
latter  feel  toward  us.  How  can  they  change  this 
aversion  into  sympathy  when  they  see  us,  in  our 
tight,  immodest  costume,  dressed  in  gloomy  colors, 
loaded  with  note-books,  telescopes,  mysterious  in- 
struments which  we  direct  at  every  thing,  noting  all 
things,  measuring  all  things,  wishing  to  know  all 
things  ;  we,  who  are  always  laughing,  and  never 
pray ;  we,  who  are  restless,  chattering,  drinking, 
smoking,  full  of  pretentions  and  meanness,  with  only 
one  wife,  and  never  a  slave  in  the  whole  country ! 
And  they  form  a  dark  idea  of  Europe,  as  of  im- 
mense congeries  of  turbulent  people,  where  there 
reigns  a  feverish  life,  full  of  ardent  ambitions,  un- 

o 

bridled  vices,  audacious  enterprises,  and  tumult,  a 
dizzy  whirl,  a  confusion  as  of  Babel,  displeasing  to 
God  and  man. 

To-day  great  confusion  in  the  palace,  because  of 
the  first  and  unique  attempt  at  amorous  conquest 
made  by  a  Christian  among  the  lower  personages  of 


2QO  MOROCCO. 

the  Embassy.  This  excellent  young  man,  upon 
whom,  as  it  would  seem,  the  diplomatic  austerity  of 
our  lives  for  the  last  forty  days  had  begun  to  weigh 
rather  heavily,  having  seen,  I  know  not  whence,  a 
lovely  Moor  walking  in  a  garden,  thought  (we  all 
have  our  weaknesses)  that  she  would  never  be  able 
to  resist  the  attractions  of  his  fine  person  ;  and  with- 
out a  thought  of  the  danger,  insinuated  himself 
throup-h  some  hole  in  the  wall  into  the  forbidden 

o 

precincts.  If,  when  arrived  in  the  presence  of  his 
nymph,  he  made  a  declaration  of  love,  or  whether 
he  attempted  to  suppress  any  preamble,  whether  the 
nymph  lent  a  favorable  ear,  or  fled  shrieking  from 
the  spot,  no  one  knows  ;  for  in  this  country  all  is 
mystery.  It  is  known,  however,  that  there  sudden- 
ly issued  from  behind  the  bushes  four  Moors  armed 
with  daggers,  two  of  whom  sprang  upon  them  on 
one  side,  and  two  on  the  other  ;  and  that  the  unfort- 
unate young  man  would  either  never  have  issued 
from  the  garden,  or  would  have  done  so  with  some 
holes  in  his  person,  if  the  Caid  Hamed-Ben-Kasen 
Buhammei  had  not  suddenly  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  and  with  an  imperious  gesture  arrested  the 
four  assailants,  and  given  the  fugitive  time  to  get 
back  to  the  palace  with  a  whole  skin.  The  news  of 
the  event  flew  about:  there  was  great  excitement,  and 
the  culprit  received  a  solemn  admonition  in  the 
presence  of  us  all,  while  the  commandant,  always 
witty,  added  on  his  own  account  a  little  sermon 
which  produced  a  profound  impression.  "  The  wives 


FEZ.  291 

of  others,"  said  he,  "  and  more  especially  the  wives 
of  Mussulmans,  must  be  let  alone  ;  and  when  one 
is  with  a  European  Embassy  in  Morocco,  one  must 
make  up  one's  mind  not  to  be  a  man.  For,  in  Ma- 
hometan countries,  these  woman  questions  speed- 
ily become  political  questions.  It  would  indeed  be 
a  fine  responsibility,  that  of  an  honest  young  fellow, 
who,  not  having  been  able  to  resist  an  inconsiderate 
impulse,  should  drag  his  country  into  a  war,  the  con- 
sequences of  which  could  not  be  foreseen."  At  this 
solemn  discourse,  the  poor  young  man,  who  already 
saw  the  Italian  fleet  with  a  hundred  thousand  fight- 
ing men  sailing  toward  Morocco  because  of  him, 
showed  himself  so  overwhelmed  with  the  sense  of 
his  guilt  that  no  further  castigation  was  considered 
necessary. 

I  should  much  like  to  know  what  conception  these 
people  have  of  their  own  military  power,  and  their 
own  valor  in  war,  with  respect  to  the  power  and 
bravery  of  Europeans.  But  I  dare  not  question 
them  directly  on  the  subject,  because  they  are  very 
ready  to  take  offence,  and  I  fear  that  my  questions 
might  be  mistaken  for  irony  or  brag.  I  have  suc- 
ceeded, however,  touching  lightly  and  with  caution, 
in  picking  up  something.  As  to  the  superiority  of 
our  military  power  they  have  no  doubts  ;  for,  if  any 
doubts  remained  in  their  minds  thirty  years  since, 
when  they  had  not  yet  met  with  any  severe  re- 
verses from  European  armies,  the  wars  with  France 
and  Spain,  and  principally  the  two  famous  battles  of 


292  MOROCCO. 

Isly  and  Tetuan,  would  have  dissipated  them  for 
ever.  But  with  regard  to  bravery,  it  seems  to  me 
that  they  still  think  themselves  much  superior  to 
Europeans,  whose  victories  they  attribute  to  their 
artillery,  to  discipline,  and  to  what  with  them  takes 
the  place  of  strategy  and  tactics,  namely,  craft ;  but 
not  at  all  to  their  valor.  It  appears  that  they  do 
not  consider  victories  gained  by  these  means  as  real 
victories,  nobly  obtained.  The  common  people  also 
add  to  these  the  alliance  with  evil  spirits,  without 
which  neither  artillery  nor  craft  would  avail  to  con- 
quer the  Mussulman  armies.  Certain  it  is  that  to 
the  pure-blooded  Arabs  and  to  the  Berbers,  who  are 
the  warlike  majority  in  Morocco,  bravery  cannot  be 
denied,  or  even  the  recognition  of  it  restricted  to 
that  common  and  indeterminate  courage  which  in 
Europe  is  considered,  with  chivalric  reciprocity,  the 
property  of  all  armies.  For  even  taking  into  ac- 
count the  nature  of  the  ground  and  the  secret  aid 
of  England,  the  army  of  Morocco,  scattered,  badly 
commanded,  badly  armed,  badly  provisioned,  could 
not  have  confronted,  as  it  did,  for  nearly  a  year, 
with  a  tenacity  unexpected  in  Europe,  the  Spanish 
troops,  highly  disciplined,  and  furnished  with  all  the 
newest  offensive  weapons,  unless  they  had  pos- 
sessed great  bravery  in  compensation  for  the  mili- 
tary power  that  they  lacked.  We  may  deny  the 
name  of  true  courage  to  that  fanaticism  which  sends 
one  man  against  ten,  seeking  a  death  that  shall  open 
for  him  the  gates  of  paradise  ;  or  to  the  savage 


FEZ.  293 

fury  which  induces  a  soldier  to  dash  his  own  brains 
out  against  a  rock  rather  than  fall  into  the  enemy's 
hands  ;  or  to  the  wild  rage  of  a  wounded  man,  who 
tears  the  bandages  from  his  wounds  and  frees  him- 
self at  once  from  life  and  a  prison  ;  or  to  the  con- 
tempt of  pain,  the  blind  audacity,  the  brutal  obsti- 
nacy, that  seek  death  without  any  purpose  to  serve  ; 
but  we  must  admit  at  least  that  these  are  elements 
of  courage,  and  it  is  incontestable  that  this  people 
gave  many  such  tremendous  examples  to  Spain. 
After  two  months  of  warfare  the  Spanish  army  had 
taken  but  two  prisoners,  an  Arab  from  the  province 
of  Oran,  and  a  lunatic  who  had  presented  himself 
at  the  outposts  ;  and  at  the  sanguinary  battle  of 
Castillejos  five  men  only,  and  those  five  wounded, 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors.  Their  traditional 
tactics  are  to  advance  en  masse  against  the  enemy, 
to  extend  themselves  rapidly,  rush  in,  fire,  and  re- 
treat precipitately  to  reload.  In  great  battles  they 
dispose  themselves  in  half-moon  shape,  artillery  and 
infantry  in  the  centre,  and  cavalry  at  the  wings, 
which  seeks  to  envelop  the  enemy  and  catch  him 
between  two  fires.  The  supreme  head  gives  a  gen- 
eral order,  but  every  inferior  chief  returns  to  the 
assault  or  retreats  when  he  thinks  fit,  and  the  army 
easily  escapes  from  the  control  of  the  head.  Inde- 
fatigable horsemen,  dexterous  marksmen,  unflinch- 
ing at  a  defence,  easily  thrown  into  confusion  in 
open  ground,  they  glide  like  serpents,  climb  like 
squirrels,  run  like  goats,  pass  rapidly  from  a  bold 


294  MOROCCO. 

assault  to  a  precipitous  flight,  and  give  an  exalta- 
tion of  courage  that  seems  like  furious  madness,  to 
a  confusion  and  disorder  without  name.  There  are 
still  in  Morocco  men  who  went  mad  with  terror  at 
the  battle  of  Isly ;  and  it  is  known  that  when 
Marshall  Bugeaud  began  his  cannonade,  Sultan 
Abd-er-Rhaman  cried  out,  "  My  horse  !  my  horse!  " 
and  leaping  into  the  saddle  fled  precipitately,  leav- 
ing in  the  camp  his  musicians,  his  necromancers, 
his  hunting  dogs,  the  sacred  standard,  the  parasol, 
and  his  tea,  which  the  French  soldiers  found  still 
boiling  hot. 

I  meet  so  many  negroes  in  the  streets  of  Fez 
that  I  sometimes  seem  to  find  myself  in  the  city  of 
the  Soudan,  and  feel  vaguely  between  me  and  Europe 
the  immensity  of  the  desert  of  Sahara.  From  the 
Soudan,  in  fact,  the  greater  part  of  them  come — a 
little  less  than  three  thousand  in  a  year,  many  of 
whom  are  said  to  die  in  a  short  time  from  homesick- 
ness. They  are  generally  brought  at  the  age  of 
eight  or  ten  years.  The  merchants,  before  expos- 
ing them  for  sale,  fatten  them  with  balls  of  cusciissii, 
try  to  cure  them,  with  music,  of  their  homesick- 
ness, and  teach  them  a  few  Arabic  words  ;  which 
last  augments  their  price,  which  is  generally  thirty 
francs  for  a  boy,  sixty  for  a  girl,  about  four  hun- 
dred for  a  young  woman  of  seventeen  or  eighteen 
who  is  handsome,  and  knows  how  to  speak,  and  has 
not  yet  had  a  child,  and  fifty  or  sixty  for  an  old 
man.  The  emperor  takes  five  per  cent,  on  the  im- 


FEZ.  295 

ported  material,  and  has  a  right  to  the  first  choice. 
The  others  are  sold  in  the  markets  of  Fez,  Moga- 
dor,  and  Morocco,  and  separately,  at  auction,  in  the 
other  cities.  They  all,  without  difficulty,  embrace 
the  Mohammedan  religion,  preserving,  however, 
many  of  their  own  strange  superstitions,  and  the 
queer  festivals  of  their  native  country,  consisting 
of  grotesque  balls,  which  last  three  days  and  three 
nights  consecutively,  accompanied  by  diabolical 
music.  They  serve  generally  in  the  houses,  are 
treated  with  kindness,  are  for  the  most  part  freed  in 
reward  for  their  service,  and  the  way  is  open  for 
them  to  the  highest  offices  of  state.  Here,  as  else- 
where, it  is  said  that  they  are  now  feverishly  indus- 
trious, now  torpidly  lazy,  sensual  as  monkeys,  astute 
as  foxes,  ferocious  as  tigers,  but  content  with  their 
condition,  and  in  general  faithful  and  grateful  to 
their  masters ;  which,  it  would  seem,  is  not  the  case 
where  slavery  is  harder,  as  at  Cuba,  and  where  the 
liberty  that  they  enjoy  is  excessive,  as  in  Europe. 
The  Arab  and  Moorish  women  refuse  to  accept 
them,  and  it  is  rare  that  a  negro  marries  another 
than  one  of  his  own  color  ;  but  the  men,  especially 
the  Moors,  not  only  seek  them  eagerly  as  concu- 
bines, but  marry  them  as  frequently  as  white 
women  ;  from  which  cause  comes  the  great  number 
of  mulattoes  of  all  shades  who  are  seen  in  the 
streets  o/  Morocco.  What  strange  chances !  The 
poor  negro  of  ten  years  old,  sold  in  the  confines  of 
the  Sahara  for  a  sack  of  sugar  and  a  piece  of  cloth, 


296  MOROCCO. 

may — and  the  case  can  be  cited — discuss  thirty 
years  afterward,  as  Minister  of  Morocco,  a 
treaty  of  commerce  with  the  English  Ambassador  ; 
and  still  more  possibly,  the  black  girl  baby,  born  in 
•a  filthy  den,  and  exchanged  in  the  shade  of  an  oasis 
for  a  skin  of  brandy,  may  come  to  be  covered  with 
gems,  and  fragrant  with  perfumes,  and  clasped  in 
the  arms  of  the  Sultan. 

For  some  days,  walking  about  Fez,  there  presents 
itself  to  my  mind  with  obstinate  persistence,  the 
image  of  a  great  American  city,  to  which  people 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  hasten  ;  one  of  those 
cities  which  represent  almost  the  type  of  that  to 
which  all  new  cities  are  slowly  conforming  them- 
selves, and  whose  life  is,  perhaps,  an  example  of 
that  which,  in  another  century,  will  be  the  life  of 
all  ;  a  city  whose  image  cannot  present  itself  to 
any  European  side  by  side  with  that  of  Fez,  with- 
out exciting  a  smile  of  pity,  so  enormous  is  the 
difference  which  separates  them  in  the  road  of  hu- 
man progress  ;  and  yet,  the  more  I  fix  my  thoughts 
upon  that  city,  the  more  I  feel  conscious  of  a  doubt 
that  saddens  me.  I  see  those  broad,  straight,  end- 
less streets,  with  their  long  perspectives  of  gigantic 
telegraph  poles.  "  It  is  the  hour  for  closing  the 
workshops  and  warehouses.  Torrents  of  workmen, 
workwomen,  and  children  pass  on  foot,  in  omni- 
buses, in  tramway  cars,  almost  all  following  the 
same  direction,  toward  a  distant  quarter  of  the 
town  ;  and  all  have  the  same  anxious,  melancholy 


FEZ.  297 

aspect,  and  seem  worn  out  with  fatigue.  Dense 
clouds  of  coal  smoke  pour  from  the  innumerable 
chimneys  of  the  factories,  descend  into  the  streets, 
throw  their  black  shadows  over  the  splendid  shop- 
windows,  and  the  gilded  lettering  of  the  signs  that . 
cover  the  houses  up  to  the  roofs,  and  the  crowd 
that,  with  bent  heads  and  rapid  step,  swinging  their 
arms,  fly  silently  from  the  places  where  all  day  long 
they  have  labored.  From  time  to  time  the  sun 
parts  the  dismal  veil  which  industry  has  spread  over 
the  capital  of  labor  ;  but  these  sudden  and  fugitive 
beams,  instead  of  making  it  more  cheerful,  only  il- 
luminate the  sadness  of  the  scene.  All  the  faces 
have  the  same  expression.  Everybody  is  in  haste 
to  reach  home  in  order  to  '  economize '  his  few 
hours  of  repose,  after  having  drawn  the  largest 
possible  advantage  from  the  long  hours  of  work. 
Every  one  seems  to  suspect  a  rival  in  his  neighbor. 
Every  one  bears  the  stamp  of  isolation.  The  moral 
atmosphere  in  which  these  people  live  is  not  charity, 
it  is  rivalry.  A  great  number  of  families  live  in 
the  hotels,  a  life  which  condemns  the  wife  to  solitude 
and  idleness.  All  day  long  the  husband  attends  to 
his  business  out  of  the  house,  coming  in  only  at  the 
hour  for  dinner,  which  he  swallows  with  the  avidity 
of  a  famished  man.  Then  he  returns  to  his  galley. 
Boys,  at  the  age  of  five  or  six  years,  are  sent  to 
school,  they  go  and  come  alone,  and  pass  the  rest 
of  their  time  as  they  please,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
perfect  liberty.  The  paternal  authority  is  almost 


298  MOROCCO. 

nil.  The  sons  receive  no  other  education  than  that 
of  the  common  school,  arrive  quickly  at  maturity, 
and  from  infancy  are  prepared  for  the  fatigues  and 
struggles  of  the  over-excited,  strained,  and  advent- 
.urous  life  which  is  before  them.  The  existence  of 
the  man  is  merely  one  long  and  single  campaign,  an 
uninterrupted  succession  of  combats,  marches,  and 
countermarches.  The  sweetness,  the  intimacy  of 
the  domestic  hearth  have  but  a  small  part  in  his 
feverish  and  militant  life.  Is  he  happy  ?  Judging 
by  his  sadj  wearied,  anxious  countenance,  often  deli- 
cate and  unhealthy,  it  is  to  be  doubted.  The  ex- 
cess of  continued  work  breaks  down  his  strength, 
forbids  him  the  pleasures  of  the  intellect,  and  pre- 
vents him  from  communing  with  his  own  soul.  And 
the  woman  suffers  even  more.  She  sees  her  hus- 
band but  once  a  day,  for  half  an  hour  at  most,  and 
in  the  evening,  when  he  returns  tired  out,  and  goes 
to  bed  ;  and  she  cannot  lighten  the  burden  which 
he  carries,  nor  participate  in  his  labors,  cares,  and 
pains,  because  she  does  not  know  them  ;  for  there  is 
no  time  for  an  interchange  of  thought  and  feeling 
between  the  couple." 

The  city  is  Chicago,  and  the  writer  who  describes 
it  is  the  Baron  de  Hubner,  a  great  admirer  of 
America.  Now  my  doubt  is  this  :  I  do  not  know 
which  of  the  two  cities,  Fez  or  Chicago,  to  compas- 
sionate most.  I  feel,  however,  that  if  I  were  a 
Moor  of  Fez,  and  a  Christian  should  take  me  into 
one  of  these  great  civilized  cities  and  ask  me  if  I 
did  not  envy  him,  I  should  laugh  in  his  face. 


This  morning  Selam  told  me,  in  his  own  fashion, 
tb~  famous  history  of  the  bandit  Arusi ;  one  of  the 
many  tales"  that  go  about  from  mouth  to  mouth 
from  the  sea  to  the  desert  ;  founded,  however, 
on  a  real  and  recent  fact,  many  witnesses  to  which 
are  still  living. 

A  short  time  after  the  war  with  France,  Sultan 
Abd-er-Rhaman  sent  an  army  to  punish  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  Rif,  who  had  burned  a  French  vessel. 
Among  the  various  sheiks  who  were  ordered  to  de- 
nounce the  culprits  was  one  named  Sid-Mohammed 
Abd-el-Djebar,  already  advanced  in  years,  who,  be- 
ing jealous  of  a  certain  Arusi,  a  bold  and  handsome 
youth,  placed  him,  though  innocent,  in  the  hands  of 
the  general,  who  sent  him  to  be  incarcerated  at 
Fez.  But  he  only  remained  about  a  year  in  prison. 
After  his  release  he  went  to  Tangiers,  remained 
there  some  time,  and  then  suddenly  disappeared, 
and  for  a  while  no  one  knew  what  had  become  of 
him.  But  shortly  after  his  disappearance,  there  were 
rumors  all  over  the  province  of  Garb  of  a  band  of 
robbers  and  assassins  which  infested  the  country  be- 
tween Rabat  and  Laracce.  Caravans  were  attacked, 
merchants  robbed,  caids  maltreated,  the  Sultan's 
soldiers  poniarded  ;  no  one  dared  any  more  to  cross 
that  part  of  the  country,  and  the  few  who  had  es- 
caped alive  from  the  hands  of  the  bandits  came  back 
to  the  town  stupefied  with  terror. 

Things  remained  in  this  state  for  a  good  while, 
and  'io  one  had  been  able  to  discover  who  was  the 


300  MOROCCO. 

chief  of  the  band,  when  a  merchant  from  the  Rif, 
attacked  one  night  by  moonlight,  recognized  among 
the  robbers  the  young  Arusi,  and  brought  the  news 
to  Tangiers,  whence  it  spread  rapidly  about  the 
province.  Arusi  was  the  chief.  Many  others  rec- 
ognized him.  He  appeared  in  the  duars  and  vil- 
lages, by  day  as  well  as  by  night,  dressed  as  a  sol- 
dier, as  a  caid,  as  a  Jew,  as  a  Christian,  as  a  woman, 
as  a  ulema,  killing,  robbing,  vanishing,  pursued  from 
every  quarter,  but  never  taken,  always  unexpected 
in  his  approach,  always  under  a  new  disguise,  ca- 
pricious, fierce,  and  indefatigable ;  and  he  never 
went  very  far  away  from  the  neighborhood  of  the 
citadel  El  Mamora  ;  a  fact  which  no  one  could  un- 
derstand. The  reason  was  this  :  the  caid  of  the 
citadel  El  Mamora  was  no  other  than  the  old 
sheik,  Sid- Mohammed  Abd-el-Djebar,  who  had 
placed  Arusi  in  the  hands  of  the  Sultan's  general. 

At  that  very  time  Sid-Mohammed  had  just  given 
his  daughter  in  marriage,  a  girl  of  marvellous 
beauty,  named  Rahmana,  to  the  son  of  the  pasha  of 
Sale,  who  was  called  Sid-Ali.  The  nuptial  feasts 
were  celebrated  with  great  pomp,  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  rich  young  men  of  the  province,  who 
came  on  horseback,  armed,  and  dressed  in  their 
best,  to  the  citadel  El  Mamora;  and  Sid-Ali  was 
to  conduct  his  bride  to  Sale,  to  his  father's  house. 
The  cortege  issued  from  the  citadel  at  night.  It 
had  to  pass  through  a  narrow  defile  formed  by  two 
chains  of  wooded  hills  and  downs.  First  went  an 


FEZ.  301 

escort  of  thirty  horsemen  ;  behind  these,  Rahmana, 
on  a  mule,  between  her  husband  and  her  brother ; 
behind  her,  her  father,  the  caid,  and  a  crowd  of 
relations  and  friends. 

They  entered  the  defile.  The  night  was  serene, 
the  bridegroom  held  Rahmana  by  the  hand,  the 
old  caid  smoothed  his  beard  ;  all  was  cheerful  and 
unsuspecting. 

Suddenly  there  burst  upon  the  stillness  of  the 
night  a  formidable  voice,  which  cried  :— 

"  Arusi  salutes  thee,  O  Sheik  Sid- Mohammed 
Abd-el-Djebar! " 

At  the  same  moment,  from  the  top  of  the  hill, 
thirty  muskets  flashed,  and  thirty  shots  rang  out. 
Horses,  soldiers,  friends  and  relations  fell  wounded 
or  dead,  or  took  to  flight ;  and  before  the  caid 
and  Sid-Ali,  who  were  untouched,  could  recover 
from  their  bewilderment,  a  man,  a  fury,  a  demon, 
Arusi  himself,  had  seized  Rahmana,  placed  her  be- 
fore him  on  his  horse,  and  fled  with  the  speed  of 
the  wind  toward  the  forest  of  Mamora. 

The  caid  and  Sid-Ali,  both  resolute  men,  instead 
of  giving  way  to  a  vain  despair,  took  a  solemn  oath 
never  to  shave  their  heads  until  they  had  been  fear- 
fully avenged.  They  demanded  and  obtained  sol- 
diers from  the  Sultan,  and  began  to  give  chase  to 
Arusi,  who  had  taken  refuge  with  his  band  in  the 
great  forest  of  Mamora.  It  was  a  most  fatiguing 
warfare,  carried  on  by  coups  de  main,  ambuscades, 
nocturnal  assaults,  feints,  and  ferocious  combats,  and 


3O2  MOROCCO. 

went  on  for  more  than  a  year,  driving,  little  by  little, 
the  band  of  marauders  into  the  centre  of  the  forest. 
The  circle  grew  closer  and  closer.  Many  of  Arusi's 
men  were  already  dead  with  hunger,  many  had  fled, 
many  had  been  killed  fighting.  The  caid  and  Sid- 
Ali,  as  their  vengeance  seemed  to  draw  near,  be- 
came more  ferocious  in  its  pursuit ;  they  rested 
neither  night  nor  day,  they  breathed  only  for  re- 
venge. But  of  Arusi  and  Rahmana  they  could  learn 
nothing.  Some  said  they  were  dead,  some  that 
they  had  fled,  some  that  the  bandit  had  first  killed 
the  woman  and  then  himself.  The  caid  and  Sid- 
Ali  began  to  despair,  because  the  further  they  ad- 
vanced into  the  forest,  and  the  thicker  the  trees, 
higher  and  more  intricate  became  the  bushes,  the 
vines,  the  brambles,  and  the  junipers  ;  so  that  the 
horses  and  dogs  could  no  longer  force  a  passage 
through  them.  At  last  one  day,  when  the  two  were 
walking  in  the  forest  almost  discouraged,  an  Arab 
came  toward  them  and  said  that  he  had  seen  Arusi 
hidden  in  the  reeds,  on  the  river-bank  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  wood,  The  caid  hastily  called  his 
men  together,  and  dividing  them  into  two  compa- 
nies, sent  one  to  the  right  and  the  other  to  the  left, 
toward  the  river.  After  some  time,  the  caid  was 
the  first  to  see,  rising  from  the  midst  of  the  reeds,  a 
phantom,  a  man  of  tall  stature  and  terrible  aspect— 
Arusi.  Everybody  rushed  toward  that  point,  they 
searched  in  vain,  Arusi  was  not  there.  "  He  has 
crossed  the  river !  "  shouted  the  caid.  They  threw 


FEZ.  303 

themselves  into  the  stream,  and  gained  the  opposite 
bank.  There  they  found  some  footprints,  and  fol- 
lowed them,  but  after  a  little,  they  failed.  Sud- 
denly the  horsemen  broke  into  a  gallop  along  the 
river  brink.  At  the  same  moment  the  attention 
of  the  caid  was  drawn  to  three  of  his  dogs,  who 
had  stopped,  searching,  near  a  clump  of  reeds. 
Sid-Ali  was  the  first  to  run  to  the  spot,  and  he 
found  near  the  reeds  a  large  ditch,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  were  some  holes.  Jumping  into  the 
ditch,  he  introduced  his  musket  into  one  of  the 
holes,  felt  it  pushed  back,  and  fired  ;  then  calling 
the  caid  and  the  soldiers,  they  searched  here  and 
there,  and  found  a  small  round  aperture  in  the 
steep  bank  just  above  the  water.  Arusi  must 
have  entered  by  that  opening.  "  Dig !  "  shouted 
the  caid.  The  soldiers  ran  for  picks  and  shovels 
to  a  neighboring  village,  and  digging,  presently 
came  upon  a  sort  of  arch  in  the  earth,  and  under  it 
a  cave. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  cave  was  Arusi,  erect,  mo- 
tionless, pale  as  death.  They  seized  him  ;  he  made 
no  resistance.  They  dragged  him  out ;  he  had  lost 
his  left  eye.  He  was  bound,  carried  to  a  tent,  laid 
on  the  ground,  and  as  a  first  taste  of  vengeance, 
Sid-Ali  cut  off  one  by  one  all  the  toes  of  his  feet, 
and  threw  them  in  his  face.  This  done,  six  soldiers 
were  set  to  guard  him,  and  Sid-Ali  and  the  caid 
withdrew  to  another  tent,  there  to  arrange  what  tort- 
ures they  should  inflict  before  cutting  off  his  head. 


304  MOROCCO. 

The  discussion  was  prolonged  ;  for  each  one  tried 
to  propose  some  more  painful  torture,  and  nothing 
seemed  horrible  enough  ;  the  evening  came,  and 
nothing  was  decided.  The  decision  was  put  off  un- 
til the  next  morning,  and  they  separated. 

An  hour  afterward  the  caid  and  AH  were  asleep, 
each  in  his  tent  ;  the  night  was  very  dark,  there  was 
not  a  breath  of  wind,  not  a  leaf  moving ;  nothing  was 
heard  but  the  murmur  of  the  river,  and  the  breath- 
ing of  the  sleeping  men.  Suddenly  a  formidable 
voice  broke  the  silence  of  the  night : — 

"Arusi  salutes  thee,  O  Sheik  Sid- Mohammed 
Abd-el-Djebar!" 

The  old  caid  sprang  to  his  feet  and  heard  the 
rapid  beat  of  a  horse's  feet  departing.  He  called 
his  soldiers,  who  came  in  haste,  and  shouted,  "  My 
horse !  my  horse !  "  They  sought  his  horse,  the 
most  superb  animal  in  the  whole  of  Garb  ;  it  was 
gone.  They  ran  to  the  tent  of  Sid- AH  :  he  was 
stretched  to  the  ground,  dead,  with  a  poniard  stuck 
in  his  left  eye.  The  caid  burst  into  tears  ;  the 
soldiers  went  off  on  the  track  of  the  fugitive.  They 
saw  him  for  an  instant,  like  a  shadow  ;  then  lost 
him  ;  again  saw  him  ;  but  he  sped  like  the  light- 
ning, and  vanished  not  to  be  seen  again.  Never- 
theless they  continued  to  follow,  all  the  night,  until 
they  reached  a  thick  wood  where  they  halted  to 
await  the  dawn.  When  daylight  appeared  they 
saw  far  off  the  caid's  horse  approaching,  tired  out 
and  all  bloody,  filling  the  air  with  lamentable  neigh- 


FEZ.  305 

ings.  Thinking  that  Arusi  must  be  in  the  wood, 
they  loosed  the  dogs  and  advanced  sword  in  hand. 
In  a  few  minutes  they  discovered  a  dilapidated 
house  half-hidden  among  the  trees.  The  dogs 
stopped  there.  The  soldiers  came  to  the  door,  and 
levelling  their  muskets  let  them  fall  with  a  cry  of 
amazement.  Within  the  four  ruined  walls  lay  the 
corpse  of  Arusi,  and  beside  it,  a  lovely  woman, 
splendidly  dressed,  with  her  hair  loose  on  her 
shoulders,  was  binding  up  his  bleeding  feet,  sobbing, 
laughing,  and  murmuring  words  of  despair  and  love. 
It  was  Rahmana.  They  took  her  to  her  father's 
house,  where  she  remained  three  days  without 
speaking  one  word,  and  then  disappeared.  She  was 
found  some  time  afterward  in  the  ruined  house  in 
the  wood,  scratching  up  the  earth  with  her  hands, 
and  calling  on  Arusi.  And  there  she  stayed. 
"  God,"  said  the  Arabs,  "  had  called  her  reason  back 
to  Himself,  and  she  was  a  saint."  Whether  she  is 
still  living  or  not,  no  one  knows.  She  was  cer- 
tainly living  twenty  years  ago,  and  was  seen  in  her 
hermitage  by  M.  Narcisse  Cotte,  attached  to  the 
Consulate  of  France  at  Tangiers,  who  told  her 
story. 

There  is  not  now  a  corner  of  Fez  that  is  unknown 
to  us  ;  and  yet  it  seems  as  if  we  had  only  arrived 
yesterday,  so  varied  is  the  aspect  of  the  place,  so 
much  does  every  object  revive  in  us  the  sense  of 
our  solitude,  so  little  do  we  become  habituated  to 
the  curiosity  that  we  create.  And  this  curiosity  is 


3o6  MOROCCO. 

in  no  wise  lessened,  although  by  this  time  we  have 
been  seen  over  and  over  again  by  every  native  of 
Fez.  Timidity,  on  the  other  hand,  is  lessened,  and 
antipathy,  perhaps,  a  little ;  the  children  come 
nearer  and  touch  our  garments,  to  feel  what  they 
are  made  of;  the  women  look  at  us  with  forbidding 
glances,  but  they  no  longer  turn  back  when  they 
see  us  coming  ;  curses  are  more  rare,  the  soldiers 
do  not  use  their  sticks  so  much,  and  the  blows  that 
Ussi  received  were,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  the  first  and 
last  blows  with  a  fist  that  I  shall  have  to  report  in 
Italy.  And  although,  in  our  walks  through  the 
city,  we  are  followed  and  preceded  by  a  crowd,  I 
think  we  could  now  go  out  alone  witnout  danger 
of  death.  Already  the  people,  according  to  the  sol- 
dier's testimony,  have  given  each  of  us  a  name,  ac- 
cording to  Moorish  custom :  the  doctor  is  "  the 
man  with  the  spectacles  "  ;  the  vice-consul  is  "  the 
man  with  the  flat  nose  "  ;  the  captain  is  "  the  man 
with  the  black  boots  "  ;  Ussi  is  "  the  man  with  the 
white  handkerchief";  the  commandant,  "the  man 
with  the  short  legs  "  ;  Biseo,  "  the  man  with  the  red 
hair "  ;  Morteo,  "  the  velvet  man,"  because  he  is 
dressed  in  velvet ;  and  myself,  "  the  man  with  the 
broken  shoe,"  because  a  pain  in  my  foot  obliged  me 
to  make  a  cut  in  my  boot.  They  comment  much  upon 
our  doings,  it  appears,  and  say  that  we  are  all  ugly, 
not  one  accepted,  not  even  the  cook,  who  received 
this  intelligence  with  a  laugh  of  scorn,  and  clapped 
his  hand  on  a  pocket  in  his  vest,  where  he  had  a 


FEZ.  307 

letter  from  his  sweetheart.  And  it  seems  to  me 
that  they  find  us,  or  pretend  to  find  us  ridiculous, 
because,  in  the  streets,  they  laugh  with  a  certain  os- 
tentation every  time  that  one  of  us  slips,  or  hits  his 
head  against  a  branch  of  a  tree,  or  loses  his  hat. 
Nevertheless,  and  despite  the  variety  of  the  land 
scape,  this  population  all  of  one  color,  and  without 
apparent  distinction  of  rank,  this  silence  broken 
only  by  an  eternal  rustle  of  slippers  and  mantles, 
these  veiled  women,  these  blind,  mute  houses,  this 
mysterious  life, — all  end  by  producing  a  dreadful 
tedium.  We  must  be  within  doors  at  sunset,  and 
may  not  go  out  again.  With  the  daylight  ceases 
all  trade,  every  movement,  every  sign  of  life  ;  Fez  is 
no  more  than  a  vast  necropolis,  where  if  perchance 
a  human  voice  is  heard,  it  is  the  howl  of  a  madman, 
or  the  shriek  of  one  who  is  being  murdered;  and 
he  who  insists  upon  going  about  at  any  cost,  must 
be  accompanied  by  a  patrol  with  loaded  muskets, 
and  a  company  of  carpenters  who  at  every  three 
hundred  paces  must  knock  down  a  gate  that  stops 
the  way.  In  the  daytime  the  city  supplies  no  news 
beyond  some  woman  found  in  the  street  with  a 
dagger  in  her  heart,  or  the  departure  of  a  caravan, 
or  the  arrival  of  a  governor  or  vice-governor  of 
some  province  who  has  been  thrown  into  prison,  the 
bastinado  administered  to  some  dignitary,  a  festival 
in  honor  of  some  saint,  or  other  things  of  the  same 
character  brought  to  us  in  general  by  Mohammed 
Ducali  or  Schellal,  who  are  our  two  perambulating 


308  MOROCCO. 

journals.  And  these  events,  with  what  I  daily  see, 
and  the  singular  life  I  lead,  give  me  at  night  such 
strangely  intricate  dreams  of  severed  heads,  and 
deserts,  of  harems,  prisons,  Fez,  Timbuctoo,  and 
Turin,  that  when  I  wake  in  the  morning,  it  takes  me 
some  minutes  to  find  out  what  world  I  am  in. 

How  many  beautiful,  grotesque,  horrible,  absurd, 
and  strange  figures  will  live  in  my  memory  for  ever! 
My  head  is  full  of  them,  and  when  I  am  alone  I 
make  them  pass  before  me  one  by  one,  like  the  fig- 
ures in  a  magic  lantern,  with  inexpressible  pleasure. 
There  is  Sid-Buker,  the  mysterious  being  who  comes 
three  times  every  day,  wrapped  in  a  great  mantle, 
with  head  down,  half-closed  eyes,  pale  as  death, 
stealthy  as  a  spectre,  to  confer  secretly  with  the 
Ambassador,  and  vanishes  like  a  figure  in  a  phantas- 
magoria, without  any  one  observing  him.  There  is 
the  favorite  Sid-Moussa,  a  handsome  young  mulatto, 
graceful  as  a  girl,  elegant  as  a  prince,  fresh  and  smil- 
ing, who  goes  leaping  up  and  down  the  stairs,  and 
salutes  you  with  a  sort  of  coquetry,  bowing  pro- 
foundly and  extending  his  hand  as  if  he  were  throw- 
ing kisses.  There  is  a  soldier  of  the  guard,  a  Berber, 
born  in  the  Atlas  Mountains,  a  countenance  that  one 
cannot  see  without  a  shudder,  and  who  fixes  upon 
me  a  cold,  perfidious,  immovable  glance,  as  if  he 
mea/it  to  kill  me ;  and  the  more  I  try  to  avoid  him 
the  more  I  meet  him,  and  he  seems  to  divine  the 
dread  with  which  he  inspires  me,  and  to  take  a 
satanic  pleasure  in  it.  There  is  a  decrepit  old 


FEZ.  309 

woman,  whom  I  saw  in  the  door  of  a  mosque,  naked 
as  she  was  born,  except  for  a  formless  rag  about  her 
hips,  with  her  head  as  bald  as  the  palm  of  my  hand, 
and  a  body  so  deformed  that  I  made  an  exclamation 
of  horror,  and  was  disturbed  for  some  time  by  the 
sight  of  her.  There  is  the  mischievous  Moorish 
woman,  who,  entering  her  house  as  we  were  passing 
by,  threw  off  in  furious  haste  the  caic  that  covered 
her,  and  giving  us  a  glimpse  of  her  handsome, 
straight,  and  well-made  figure,  and  a  sparkling 
glance,  shut  the  door.  There  is  the  very  old  shop- 
keeper, with  a  face  at  once  ridiculous  and  frightful, 
so  bent  over  that  when  he  stands  in  the  back  of  his 
dark  niche  he  seems  almost  to  touch  his  toes  with 
his  chin ;  he  keeps  only  one  eye  open,  and  that  is 
hardly  visible  ;  and  every  time  I  pass  his  shop,  and 
look  in  at  him,  that  eye  opens  large  and  round,  and 
shines  with  a  sort  of  mocking  smile  that  gives  me  a 
kind  of  anxious  feeling.  There  is  the  beautiful  little 
Moorish  girl  of  ten  years  old,  with  her  hair  loose 
about  her  shoulders,  dressed  in  a  chemise  bound 
round  the  waist  with  a  green  scarf,  who,  in  attempt- 
ing to  jump  from  one  terrace  to  another  lower  one, 
got  caught  by  her  chemise  upon  the  corner  of  a 
brick,  and  was  held  dangling;  and  she,  knowing  that 
she  was  seen  from  the  palace  of  the  Embassy,  and 
unable  to  get  up  or  down,  raised  the  most  despairing 
shrieks,  and  all  the  women  in  the  house  came,  shak- 
ino-  with  lausrhter,  to  her  assistance.  There  is  the 

& 

gigantic  mulatto,  a  madman,  who,  pursued  by  the 


310  MOROCCO. 

fixed  idea  that  the  Sultan's  soldiers  are  seeking  him 
to  cut  his  hand  off,  flies  through  the  streets  like  some 
wild  thing  held  in  chase,  convulsively  shaking  his 
right  arm  as  if  it  were  already  mutilated,  and  giving 
the  most  frightful  yells,  which  can  be  heard  from  one 
end  of  the  city  to  the  other.  There  are  many, 
many  more ;  but  the  one  who  rises  oftenest  be- 
fore my  memory  is  a  negro,  of  about  fifty  years  of 
age,  a  servant  of  the  palace,  a  little  more  than  a  yard 
high,  and  a  little  less  than  a  yard  wide,  a  contented 
spirit,  who  is  always  smiling  and  twisting  his  mouth 
toward  his  right  ear  ;  the  most  grotesque,  the  most 
absurdly  ridiculous  figure  that  ever  appeared  under 
the  vault  of  heaven  ;  and  it  is  of  no  use  for  me  to  bite 
my  fingers,  and  tell  myself  that  it  is  ignoble  to  laugh 
at  human  deformity,  and  shame  myself  in  many 
ways,  the  laugh  breaks  out  in  spite  of  me — there 
must  be  in  it  some  mysterious  intention  of  Provi- 
dence— it  must  break  out.  And — I  really  cannot 
help  it — the  idea  presents  itself,  what  a  capital  pipe- 
bowl  he  would  make ! 

As  the  day  of  departure  draws  near,  the  merchants 
come  in  crowds  to  the  palace,  and  buying  goes  on 
with  fury.  The  rooms,  the  court,  and  the  gallery 
have  taken  the  aspect  of  a  bazaar.  Everywhere 
long  rows  of  vases,  embroidered  slippers,  cushions, 
carpets,  caics.  Every  thing  in  Fez  that  is  most 
gilded,  most  arabesqued,  most  dear  in  price,  is 
passed  before  our  eyes.  And  it  is  worth  while  to 
see  how  they  sell,  these  people,  without  a  word, 


SLAVE  OF  THE  SUl.'I  AN. 


FEZ.  3  I  I 

without  a  flitting  smile,  only  making  the  sign  of  yes 
or  no  with  the  head,  and  going  away,  having  sold  or 
not  having  sold,  with  the  same  automaton  faces  that 
they  brought.  Above  all,  the  painters'  room  is  fine, 
converted  into  a  great  bric-&-brac  shop,  full  of  sad- 
dles, stirrups,  guns,  caftans,  ragged  scarfs,  pottery, 
barbaric  ornaments,  old  girdles  of  women,  come 
from  heaven  knows  where,  that  have  perhaps  felt 
the  pressure  of  the  Sultan's  arms,  and  next  year  will 
appear  in  some  grand  picture  at  Naples  or  New  York. 
One  kind  of  thing  only  is  wanting,  namely,  antique 
objects,  records  of  the  various  peoples  who  have  con- 
quered and  colonized  Morocco  ;  and  although  it  is 
known  that  such  are  often  found  underground  and 
among  the  ruins,  it  is  not  possible  to  get  them,  be- 
cause every  object  so  found  has  to  be  carried  to  the 
authorities,  and  whoever  finds  one  hides  it ;  and  the 
anthorities,  ignorant  of  their  value,  destroy  or  sell  as 
useless  material  the  little  that  finds  its  way  to  them. 
In  this  way,  a  few  years  ago,  a  bronze  horse  and 
some  small  bronze  statues,  which  were  found  in  a 
well  near  the  remains  of  an  aqueduct,  were  broken 
up  and  sold  for  old  copper  to  a  Jew  dealer  in  second- 
hand goods. 

To-day  I  had  a  warm  discussion  with  a  merchant 
of  Fez,  with  the  intention  of  finding  out  what  opin- 
ion the  Moors  held  of  European  civilization  ;  and  for 
that  reason  I  did  not  trouble  myself  to  refute  his 
arguments,  except  when  it  was  necessary  to  give 
him  line.  He  is  a  handsome  man  of  forty,  of  an 


312  MOROCCO. 

honest  and  severe  countenance,  who  has  visited,  in 
his  commerce,  the  principal  cities  of  Western  Eu- 
rope, and  who  lived  a  good  while  at  Tangiers,  where 
he  learned  some  Spanish.  I  had  exchanged  a  few 
words  with  him  some  days  ago,  a  propos  of  a  small 
piece  of  stuff  woven  of  silk  and  gold,  which  he  pre- 
tended to  be  worth  ten  marenghi.  But  to-day, 
attacking  him  upon  the  subject  of  his  travels,  a  con- 
versation ensued  which  his  companions  listened  to 
with  astonishment,  although  they  could  not  under- 
stand it.  I  asked  him  then  what  impression  the 
great  cities  of  Europe  had  made  upon  him ;  not  ex- 
pecting, however,  to  hear  any  great  expression  of 
admiration,  because  I  knew,  as  everybody  knows, 
that  of  the  four  or  five  hundred  merchants  of  Mo- 
rocco who  go  every  year  to  Europe  the  greater  part 
return  to  their  own  country  more  stupidly  fanatical 
than  at  first,  when  they  do  not  return  more  rascally 
and  vicious ;  and  that  if  they  were  all  amazed  at  the 
splendor  of  our  cities,  and  at  the  marvels  of  our  in- 
dustries, not  one  of  them  would  be  touched  in  the 
soul,  moved  in  the  mind,  spurred  on  to  imitate,  to 
attempt ;  not  one  persuaded  of  the  complex  inferi- 
ority of  his  own  country  ;  and  certainly  not  one,  even 
if  he  experienced  such  sentiments,  who  would  be 
ready  to  express  them,  and  still  less  to  diffuse  them, 
through  the  fear  of  calling  down  upon  himself  the 
accusation  of  being  a  renegade  Mussulman  and  an 
enemy  to  his  country. 

"  What  have  you  to  say,"  I  asked,  "of  our  great 
cities?" 


FEZ.  313 

He  looked  fixedly  at  me,  and  answered  coldly : 
"  Large  streets,  fine  shops,  handsome  palaces,  fine 
offices — and  all  clean." 

With  this  he  appeared  to  think  that  he  had  said 
all  that  could  be  said  in  our  honor. 

"  Did  you  see  nothing  else  that  was  handsome  and 
good  ?"  I  asked. 

He  looked  at  me  as  if  to  inquire  what  I  supposed 
he  was  likely  to  have  found. 

"Is  it  possible"  (I  insisted)  "that  a  reasonable 
man  like  yourself,  who  has  seen  countries  so  wonder- 
fully different  and  superior  to  his  own,  does  not 
speak  of  them  at  least  with  astonishment,  at  least 
with  the  vivacity  with  which  a  boy  from  a  duar 
would  speak  of  a  pasha's  palace?  What  does  aston- 
ish you  then  in  the  world  ?  What  kind  of  people 
are  you?  Who  can  comprehend  you ?" 

"Perddne  Usted"  he  answered,  coldly ;  "  in  my 
turn  I  do  not  understand  you.  When  I  have  told 
you  every  thing  in  which  I  think  you  superior  to  us, 
what  do  you  wish  more  ?  Do  you  wish  me  to  say 
what  I  do  not  think  ?  I  tell  you  that  your  streets 
are  wider  than  ours,  your  shops  finer,  your  palaces 
richer ;  it  seems  to  me  that  I  have  said  all.  I  will 
say  one  thing  more :  that  you  know  more  than  we 
do,  because  you  have  books  and  read." 

I  made  a  gesture  of  impatience. 

"Do  not  be  impatient,  caballero"  he  went  on 
quietly ;  "  you  will  acknowledge  that  the  first  duty 
of  a  man,  the  first  thing  which  renders  him  estimable, 


314  JfOA'OCCO. 

and  that  in  which  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
a  country  should  be  superior  to  other  countries,  is 
honesty;  will  you  not?  Very  well,  in  the  matter  of 
honesty  I  do  not  at  all  believe  that  you  are  superior 
to  us.  And  that  is  one  thing." 

"Gently.  Explain  first  what  you  mean  by  hon- 
esty." 

"  Honesty  in  trade,  caballero.  The  Moors,  for  ex- 
ample, in  trade  sometimes  deceive  the  Europeans, 
but  you  Europeans  deceive  us  Moors  much  more 
often." 

"The  cases  are  rare,"  I  answered,  for  the  sake  of 
saying  something. 

"Cases  rare !  "  he  exclaimed,  warmly.  "  Cases  of 
every-day  occurrence  "  (and  here  I  would  like  to  re- 
port exactly  his  broken,  concise,  and  childish  lan- 
guage). "Proof!  Proof!  I  at  Marseilles.  I  am 
at  Marseilles.  I  buy  cotton.  I  choose  the  thread, 
thick  like  this.  I  say :  this  number,  this  stamp,  this 
quantity,  send.  I  pay,  I  depart,  arrive  at  Morocco, 
receive  cotton,  open,  look,  same  number,  same  stamp 
— thread  three  times  smaller !  good  for  nothing  ! 
loss,  thousands  of  francs !  I  run  to  Consulate- 
nothing.  Otro,  another.  Merchant  of  Fez  orders 
blue  cloth  in  Europe,  so  many  pieces,  so  wide,  so 
long,  agreed,  paid.  Receives  cloth,  opens,  meas- 
ures: first  pieces  right ;  under,  shorter;  last,  half  a 
yard  shorter !  not  good  for  cloaks,  merchant  ruined. 
Otro,  otro.  Merchant  of  Morocco  orders  in  Europe, 
thousand  yards  gold  galloon  for  officers,  and  sends 


FEZ.  315 

money.  Galloon  comes,  cut,  sewed,  worn — copper! 
Y  otros,  y  otros,  y  otros  !  "  With  this  he  lifted  his 
face  to  the  sky,  and  then  turning  abruptly  to  me  : 
"  More  honest  you  ?  " 

I  repeated  that  these  could  only  be  exceptional 
cases.  He  made  no  reply. 

"More  religious  you?"  he  asked  then,  shortly. 
"  No !  "  and  after  a  moment :  "  No  !  Enough  to  go 
once  into  one  of  your  mosques." 

"  You  say,"  he  went  on,  encouraged  by  my  silence, 
"  in  your  country  there  are  fewer  matamientos  (mur- 
ders) ?  "  Here  I  should  have  been  embarrassed  to 
answer.  What  would  he  have  said  if  I  had  con- 
fessed that  in  Italy  alone  there  are  committed  three 
thousand  homicides  a  year,  and  that  there  are  ninety 
thousand  prisoners  on  trial  and  condemned? 

"  I  do  not  believe  it,"  he  said,  reading  my  an- 
swer in  my  eyes.  Not  feeling  myself  secure  upon 
this  ground,  I  attacked  him  with  the  usual  argu- 
ments against  polygamy. 

He  jumped  as  if  I  had  burnt  him. 

"  Always  that !  "  he  cried,  turning  red  to  his  very 
ears.  "Always  that!  as  if  you  had  one  woman 
only !  and  you  want  to  make  us  believe  it !  One 
wife  is  really  yours,  but  there  are  those  of  los  otros, 
and  those  who  are  de  todos  y  de  nadie,  of  everybody 
and  nobody.  Paris !  London  !  Cafes  lull,  streets 
full,  theatres  full.  Verguenza !  and  you  reproach 
the  Moors  !  " 

So   saying,  he  pulled   the  beads   of  his   rosary 


316  MOROCCO. 

through  his  trembling  fingers,  and  turned  from  time 
to  time  with  a  faint  smile  to  make  me  understand 
that  his  anger  was  not  against  me,  but  against  Eu- 
rope. 

Seeing  that  he  took  this  question  rather  too  much 
to  heart,  I  changed  the  subject,  and  asked  him  if  he 
did  not  recognize  greater  convenience  in  our  manner 
of  living.  Here  he  was  very  comic.  He  had  his 
arguments  all  ready. 

"  It  is  true,"  he  answered,  with  an  ironical  accent ; 
"  it  is  true.  Sun  ?  Parasol.  Rain  ?  Umbrella. 
Dust  ?  Gloves.  To  walk  ?  A  stick.  To  look  ? 
An  eye-glass.  To  take  the  air  ?  A  carriage.  To 
sit  down  ?  Elastic  cushions.  To  eat  ?  Music.  A 
scratch  ?  The  doctor.  Death  ?  A  statue  :  Eh ! 
how  many  things  you  have  need  of!  What  men, 
por  Dios  /  What  children  ! " 

In  short,  he  would  not  leave  me  any  thing.  He 
even  laughed  at  our  architecture. 

"  Che  !  che  /  "  said  he,  when  I  talked  of  the  com- 
fort of  our  houses.  "  There  are  three  hundred  of 
you  living  in  one  house,  all  a-top  of  one  another. 
and  then  you  go  up,  and  up,  and  up — and  there  is 
no  air,  and  no  light,  and  no  garden  !  " 

Then  I  spoke  of  laws,  of  government,  of  liberty, 
and  the  like  ;  and  as  he  was  a  man  of  intelligence, 
I  think  I  succeeded,  if  not  in  making  him  understand 
all  the  differences  in  these  respects  between  his 
country  and  ours,  at  least,  in  introducing  some 
gleams  of  light  into  his  mind.  Seeing  that  he  could 


FEZ.  317 

not  meet  me  on  this  ground,  he  suddenly  changed 
the  subject,  and  looking  at  me  from  head  to  foot, 
said,  smiling,  "  Mai  vestidos  "  (badly  dressed). 

I  replied  that  dress  was  of  small  importance,  and 
asked  him  if  he  did  not  recognize  our  superiority  in 
this,  that  instead  of  sitting  for  hours  idly,  with  our 
legs  crossed  on  a  mattress,  we  employed  our  time  in 
many  useful  and  amusing  ways. 

He  gave  me  a  more  subtle  answer  than  I  had  ex- 
pected. He  said  that  it  did  not  appear  to  him  a 
good  sign  to  have  need  of  so  many  ways  of  passing 
the  time.  Life  alone,  then,  was  for  us  a  punishment 
that  we  could  not  rest  an  hour  doing  nothing,  with- 
out amusement,  without  wearing  ourselves  out  in  the 
search  for  entertainment  ?  Were  we  afraid  of  our- 
selves ?  Had  we  something  in  us  which  tormented 
us  ? 

"  But  see,"  I  said,  "  what  a  dull  spectacle  your 
city  presents,  what  solitude,  what  silence,  what 
misery.  You  have  been  in  Paris.  Compare  the 
streets  of  Paris  with  the  streets  of  Fez." 

Here  he  was  sublime.  He  sprang  to  his  feet 
laughing,  and,  more  in  gesture  than  in  words,  gave 
a  jesting  description  of  the  spectacle  which  is  pre- 
sented by  our  city  streets  :  "Come,  go,  run;  carts 
here,  wheelbarrows  there ;  a  deafening  noise  ; 
drunken  men  staggering  along  ;  gentlemen  button- 
ing up  their  coats  to  save  their  purses  ;  at  every  step 
a  guard,  who  looks  as  if  at  every  step  he  saw  a 
thief ;  old  people  and  children  who  are  in  constant 


318  MOROCCO. 

danger  of  being  crushed  by  the  carriages  of  the  rich ; 
impudent  women,  and  even  girls,* horror!  who  give 
provoking  glances,  and  even  nudge  the  young  men 
with  their  elbows  ;  everybody  with  a  cigar  in  his 
mouth  ;  on  every  side  people  going  into  shops,  to 
eat,  to  drink,  to  have  their  hair  dressed,  to  look  in 
mirrors,  to  put  on  gloves;  and  dandies  planted  be- 
fore the  doors  of  the  cafes  to  whisper  in  the  ears  of 
other  people's  wives  who  are  passing ;  and  that 
ridiculous  manner  of  saluting,  and  walking  on  the 
toes,  and  swinging  and  jumping  about;  and  then, 
good  heavens,  what  womanish  curiosity ! "  And 
touching  this  point  he  grew  warm,  and  told  how  one 
day,  in  an  Italian  city,  having  gone  out  in  his  Moor- 
ish dress,  in  a  moment  there  had  gathered  a  crowd, 
who  ran  before  and  behind  him,  shouting  and  laugh- 
ing, and  would  scarcely  let  him  walk,  so  that  he  had 
to  go  back  to  his  hotel  and  change  his  dress.  "And 
that  is  the  way  they  act  in  your  country!  "  he  went 
on.  "That  they  do  so  here  is  not  surprising,  for 
they  never  see  a  Christian  ;  but  in  your  country, 
where  they  know  how  we  are  dressed,  because  they 
have  pictures  of  us,  and  send  their  painters  here 
with  machines  to  take  our  portraits  ;  among  you  who 
know  so  much,  do  you  think  that  such  things  ought 
to  happen  ?" 

After  which  he  smiled  courteously,  as  if  to  say, 
"All  this  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  be 
friends." 

Then  the   conversation    turned  upon    European 


FEZ.  319 

manufactures,  railways,  telegraphs,  ^and  great  works 
of  public  utility;  and  of  these  he  allowed  me  to 
talk  without  interruption,  assenting  from  time  to  time 
with  a  nod. 

When  I  had  finished,  however,  he  sighed  and  said, 
"After  all,  what  are  all  these  things  worth  if  we 
must  all  die  ?  " 

"Finally,"  I  concluded,  "you  would  not  change 
your  condition  for  ours  ? " 

He  stood  a  moment  thoughtful,  and  replied  :  "  No, 
because  you  are  no  longer-lived  than  we  are,  nor  are 
you  more  healthy,  nor  better,  nor  more  religious, 
nor  more  contented.  Leave  us,  then,  in  peace.  Do 
not  insist  that  everybody  should  live  as  you  do,  and 
be  happy  according  to  your  ideas.  Let  us  all  stay 
in  the  circle  where  Allah  has  placed  us.  For  some 
good  purpose  Allah  stretched  the  sea  between  Europe 
and  Africa.  Let  us  respect  His  decree." 

"And  do  you  believe,"  I  demanded,  "that  you  will 
always  remain  as  you  are  ;  that  little  by  little  we  shall 
not  make  you  change  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  he  answered.  "  You  have  the 
strength,  you  will  do  what  you  please.  All  that 
is  to  happen  is  already  written.  But  whatever  hap- 
pens Allah  will  not  abandon  His  faithful  people." 

With  this  he  took  my  hand,  pressed  it  to  his  heart, 
and  went,  majestically  away. 

This  morning  at  sunrise  I  went  to  see  the  review 
which  the  Sultan  holds  three  times  a  week  in  the 
square  where  he  received  the  Embassy. 


320  MOROCCO. 

As  I  went  out  at  the  gate  of  the  Nicchia  del 
Burro,  I  had  a  first  taste  of  the  manoeuvres  of  the 
artillery.  A  troop  of  soldiers,  old,  middle-aged,  and 
boys,  all  dressed  in  red,  were  running  behind  a 
small  cannon  drawn  by  one  mule.  It  was  one  of 
the  twelve  guns  presented  by  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment to  Sultan  Sid-Mohammed  after  the  war  of 
1860.  Every  now  and  then  the  mule  slipped,  or 
turned  aside,  or  stopped,  and  the  whole  band  began 
to  yell  and  to  strike  at  her,  dancing  and  giggling,  as 
if  it  was  a  carnival  car  they  were  conducting.  In  a 
distance  of  about  a  hundred  paces  they  stopped  ten 
times.  Now  the  little  bucket  fell  off,  now  the  ram- 
mer, now  something  else  ;  for  every  thing  was  hung 
on  the  carriage.  The  mule  zig-zagged  along  at  her 
own  caprice,  or  rather  wherever  the  cannon  pushed 
her  in  coming  down  over  the  inequalities  of  the 
ground ;  everybody  gave  orders  which  no  one 
obeyed  ;  the  big  ones  cuffed  the  small  ones,  the 
small  ones  cuffed  the  smaller  ones,  and  they  all 
cuffed  each  other  ;  and  the  cannon  remained  pretty 
much  in  the  same  place.  It  was  a  scene  to  have 
thrown  General  La  Marmora  into  a  tertian  fever. 

On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  there  were  about 
two  thousand  foot-soldiers,  some  lying  on  the 
ground,  some  standing  about  in  groups.  In  the 
square  enclosed  between  the  walls  and  the  river,  the 
artillery  ;  four  guns  were  firing  at  a  mark  ;  behind 
the  guns  stood  some  soldiers,  and  a  tall  figure  in 
white — the  Sultan.  From  the  place  where  I  stood, 


FEZ.  321 

however,  I  could  scarcely  distinguish  his  outline. 
He  seemed  from  time  to  time  to  speak  to  the  artil- 
lerymen, as  if  he  were  directing  them.  On  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  square,  near  the  bridge,  there  was 
a  crowd  of  Moors,  Arabs,  and  blacks,  men  and 
women,  people  from  the  city  and  country-people, 
gentlemen  and  peasants,  all  assembled  together,  and 
waiting,  I  was  told,  to  be  called  one  by  one  before 
the  Sultan,  from  whom  they  wished  favor  or  jus- 
tice ;  for  the  Sultan  gives  audience  three  times  a 
week  to  whosoever  wishes  to  speak  with  him. 
•  Some  of  these  poor  people  had,  perhaps,  come  from 
distant  places  to  complain  of  the  exactions  of  the 
governor,  or  to  beg  for  pardon  for  their  relatives 
in  prison.  There  were  ragged  women  and  totter- 
ing old  men  ;  all  the  faces  were  weary  and  sad,  and 
upon  them  could  be  read  both  impatient  desire  and 
dread  to  appear  before  the  prince  of  true  believers, 
the  supreme  judge,  who  in  a  few  minutes,  with  few 
words,  would  perhaps  decide  the  fate  of  their  whole 
lives.  I  could  not  see  that  they  had  any  thing  at 
their  feet  or  in  their  hands,  and  for  this  reason  I 
believe  that  the  reigning  Sultan  has  discontinued 
the  custom,  which  formerly  existed,  of  accompany- 
ing every  petition  with  a  present,  which  was  never 
refused,  however  small,  and  consisted  sometimes  of 
a  pair  of  fowls  or  a  dozen  of  eggs.  I  walked 
about  among  the  soldiers.  The  boys  were  divided 
into  companies  of  thirty  or  forty  each,  and  were 
amusing  themselves  by  running  after  one  another 


322  MOROCCO. 

and  playing  a  sort  of  leap-frog.  In  some  of  these 
groups,  however,  the  diversion  consisted  in  a  sort 
of  pantomime,  which,  when  I  understood  its  mean- 
ing, made  me  shudder.  They  were  representing 
the  amputation  of  the  hands,  decapitation,  and  other 
kinds  of  punishment,  which  they  had  doubtless  often 
witnessed.  One  boy  represented  the  caid,  another 
the  victim,  and  a  third  the  executioner  ;  the  victim, 
when  his  hand  was  cut  off,  made  believe  to  plunge 
the  stump  into  a  vessel  of  pitch  ;  another  pretended 
to  pick  up  the  hand  and  throw  it  to  the  dogs  ;  and 
the  spectators  all  laughed. 

The  gallows-bird  faces  of  the  greater  part  of 
these  youthful  soldiers  are  not  to  be  described. 
They  were  of  all  shades  of  color,  from  ebony  black 
to  orange  yellow  ;  and  not  one  of  them,  even  among 
the  youngest,  had  preserved  the  ingenuous  expres- 
sion of  childhood.  All  had  something  hard,  impu- 
dent, cynical,  in  their  eyes,  that  inspired  pity  rather 
than  anger.  No  great  perspicacity  is  necessary  to 
understand  that  they  could  not  be  otherwise.  Of 
the  men,  the  greater  part  of  them  were  dozing, 
stretched  out  on  the  ground  ;  others  were  dancing- 
negro  dances  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  spectators, 
and  making  all  sorts  of  jokes  and  grimaces  ;  others, 
again,  fencing  with  sabres,  in  the  same  way  as  at 
Tangiers,  springing  about  with  the  action  of  rope- 
dancers.  The  officers,  among  them  many  rene- 
gades, who  were  to  be  recognized  by  their  faces, 
their  pipes,  and  a  certain  something  of  superior  care 


FEZ.  323 

in  their  dress,  walked  about  apart,  and  when  I  met 
them,  turned  their  eyes  away.  Beyond  the  bridge, 
in  a  place  apart,  about  twenty  men,  muffled  in 
white  mantles,  were  lying  on  the  ground,  one  beside 
the  other,  motionless  as  statues.  I  drew  near,  and 
saw  that  they  all  wore  heavy  chains  on  wrist  and 
ankle.  They  were  persons  condemned  for  common 
offences,  who  were  dragged  about  by  the  army,  and 
thus  pilloried  in  the  sight  of  all.  As  I  approached 
they  all  turned,  and  fixed  upon  me  a  look  that  made 
me  retreat  at  once. 

I  left  the  soldiers,  and  went  to  rest  myself  under 
the  shade  of  a  palm-tree,  on  a  rising  ground,  whence 
I  could  command  the  whole  plain.  I  had  been 
there  but  a  few  minutes,  when  I  saw  an  officer  de- 
tach himself  from  a  group,  and  come  slowly  toward 
me,  looking  carelessly  about  him,  and  humming  a 
tune,  as  if  to  avoid  notice.  He  was  a  short,  stout  man  01 
about  forty,  wearing  a  sort  of  Zouave  dress,  with  a 
fez,  and  without  arms. 

When  I  saw  him  near,  I  had  a  sensation  of  dis- 
gust. Never  have  I  seen  outside  of  the  assize  court 
a  more  perfidious  countenance.  I  would  have 
sworn  to  his  having  at  least  ten  murders  on  his  con- 
science, accompanied  by  assaults  on  the  person. 

He  stopped  at  a  couple  of  paces  from  me,  fixed 
two  glassy  eyes  upon  me,  and  said,  coldly,  "Bon 
jour,  monsieur" 

I  asked  him  if  he  were  a  Frenchman.  "  Yes,"  he 
replied.  "I  am  from  Algiers.  I  have  been  here 


324  MOROCCO. 

seven  years.     I   am  a  captain  in  the  army  of  Mo- 
rocco." 

Not  being  able  to  compliment  him  on  his  position, 
I  kept  silence. 

"  C'  est  comme  fa"  he  continued,  speaking  quickly. 
"  I  came  away  from  Algiers  because  I  could  not  bear 
the  sight  of  it  any  more.  J-'  ttais  obligt  de  vivrc 
dans  un  cercle  trop  ttroit"  (he  meant,  perhaps,  the 
halter).  "  European  life  did  not  suit  my  tastes.  I 
felt  the  need  of  change." 

"  And  are  you  more  contented  now  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Most  content,"  he  answered,  with  affectation. 
"  The  country  is  lovely,  Muley-el- Hassan  is  the  best 
of  sultans,  the  people  are  kind,  I  am  a  captain,  I 
have  a  little  shop,  I  exercise  a  small  trade,  I  hunt,  I 
fish,  I  make  excursions  into  the  mountains,  I  enjoy 
complete  liberty.  I  would  not  go  back  to  Europe, 
you  see,  for  all  the  gold  in  the  world." 

"  Do  you  not  wish  to  see  your  own  country  again  ? 
Have  you  forgotten  even  France?  " 

"  What  is  France  to  me  ! "  he  replied.  "  For  me 
France  has  no  existence.  Morocco  is  my  country.1' 
And  he  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

His  cynicism  revolted  me  ;  I  could  scarcely  believe 
it ;  I  had  the  curiosity  to  probe  him  a  little  more 
deeply. 

"  Since  you  left  Algeria,"  I  asked,  "  have  you  had 
no  news  of  events  in  Europe  ?  " 

"Pas  un  mot"  he  answered.  "  Here  nobody 
knows  any  thing,  and  I  am  very  glad  not  to  know 
any  thing." 


FJX.  325 

"  You  do  not  know,  then,  that  there  has  been  a 
great  war  between  France  and  Prussia  ?" 

He  started.  "  Qui  a  vaincu  f"  he  asked,  quickly, 
fixing  his  eyes  upon  me. 

"  Prussia,"  I  replied. 

He  made  a  gesture  of  surprise.  I  told  him  in  a 
few  words  of  the  disasters  that  had  befallen  France, 
—the  invasion,  the  taking  of  Paris,  the  loss  of  the  two 
provinces.  He  listened  with  his  head  bent  down 
and  his  eyebrows  knit ;  then  he  roused  himself  and 
said,  with  a  kind  of  effort,  "  C  est  £gal — I  have  no 
country,  it  is  no  affair  of  mine,"  and  he  bent  his 
head  again.  I  observed  him  steadily,  and  he  saw  it. 
"Adieu,  Monsieur,"  he  said,  abruptly,  in  an  altered 
voice,  and  walked  quickly  away. 

"All  is  not  dead  within  him  yet!"  I  thought,  and 
was  glad. 

Meantime  the  artillery  had  ceased  its  fire,  the  Sul- 
tan had  retired  under  a  white  pavilion  at  the  foot  of 
a  tower,  and  the  soldiers  began  to  defile  before  him, 
unarmed,  and  one  by  one,  at  about  twenty  paces  one 
from  the  other.  As  there  was  not  beside  the  Sultan, 
or  in  front  of  the  pavilion  any  officer  to  read  the 
names,  as  with  us,  in  order  to  certify  the  existence  of 
every  soldier  on  the  rolls  (and  I  am  told  there  are  no 
rolls  in  the  army  of  Morocco),  I  could  not  under- 
stand the  purpose  of  the  review,  unless  it  was  for  the 
Sultan's  amusement;  and  I  was  tempted  to  laugh. 
Rut,  upon  second  thoughts,  the  primitive  and  poetic 
idea  in  the  sight  of  that  African  monarch,  high-priest, 


326  MOKOCCO. 

and  absolute  prince,  young,  gentle,  and  in  all  sim- 
plicity standing  three  hours  alone  in  the  shadow  of 
his  tent,  and  three  times  in  every  week  seeing  his 
soldiers  passing  before  him  one  by  one,  and  listening 
to  the  prayers  and  lamentations  of  his  unhappy  sub- 
jects inspired  me  instead  with  a  feeling  of  respect. 
And  since  it  was  the  last  time  that  I  should  see  him, 
I  felt  a  sudden  rush  of  sympathy  toward  him  as  I 
turned  away.  "Farewell,"  I  thought,  "handsome 
and  noble  prince ! "  and  as  his  gracious  white  figure 
disappeared  for  ever  from  my  eyes.  I  felt  a  sensation 
in  my  breast  as  if,  in  that  moment,  it  had  been 
stamped  upon  my  heart. 

The  ninth  of  June :  the  last  day  of  the  sojourn  of 
the  Italian  Embassy  at  Fez.  All  the  Ambassador's 
demands  have  been  conceded,  the  affairs  of  Ducali 
and  Schellal  arranged,  visits  of  leave-taking  made, 
the  last  dinner  of  Sid-Moussa  submitted  to,  the 
usual  presents  from  the  Sultan  received  :  a  fine  black 
horse,  with  an  enormous  green  velvet  saddle  em- 
broidered with  gold  for  the  Ambassador  ;  gilded  and 
damascened  sabres  to  the  officials  of  the  Embassy  ; 
a  mule  to  the  second  dragoman.  The  tents  and 
boxes  were  sent  forward  this  morning,  the  rooms 
are  empty,  the  mules  are  ready,  the  escort  awaits  us 
at  the  gate  of  Nicchia  del  Burro,  my  companions 
are  walking  up  and  down  the  court,  expecting  the 
signal  for  departure,  and  I,  seated  for  the  last  time 
upon  the  edge  of  my  imperial  bed,  note  down  in  a 
book  upon  my  knee  my  last  impressions  of  Fez. 


FGZ.  327 

What  are  they  ?  What  is  left  at  last  at  the  bottom 
of  my  soul  by  the  spectacle  of  this  people,  this  city, 
this  state  of  things  ?  If  my  thought  penetrates  at 
all  under  the  pleasing  impressions  of  wonder  and 
gratified  curiosity,  I  find  a  mingling  of  diverse  sen- 
timents, which  leave  my  mind  uncertain.  There  is  a 
feeling  of  pity  for  the  decay,  the  debasement,  the 
agony  of  a  warlike  and  knightly  race,  who  left  so 
luminous  a  track  in  the  history  of  science  and  art. 
and  now  have  not  even  the  consciousness  of  their 
past  glory.  There  is  admiration  for  what  remains 
in  them  of  the  strong  and  beautiful,  for  the  virile 
and  gracious  majesty  of  their  aspect,  dress,  de- 
meanor, and  ceremonies  ;  for  every  thing  that  their 
sad  and  silent  life  retains  of  its  antique  dignity  and 
simplicity.  There  is  displeasure  at  the  sight  of  so 
much  barbarism  at  so  short  a  distance  from  civiliza- 
tion, and  that  this  civilization  should  have  so  dispro- 
portionate a  force  in  rising  and  expanding,  that  in  so 
many  centuries,  and  always  growing  on  its  own 
ground,  it  has  been  unable  to  cross  two  hundred 
miles  of  sea.  There  is  anger  at  the  thought  that, 
to  the  great  interest  of  the  barbarism  of  this  part  of 
Africa,  the  civilized  states  prefer  their  own  small 
local  and  mercantile  interests  ;  and  diminishing  thus 
in  the  minds  of  this  people,  by  the  spectacle  of  their 
mean  jealousies,  their  own  authority  and  that  of  the 
civilization  which  they  desire  to  spread,  render  the 
undertaking  always  more  difficult  and  slow. 
Finally,  there  is  a  sentiment  of  vivid  pleasure,  when 


328  MOROCCO. 

I  think  that  in  this  country  another  little  world  has 
been  formed  in  my  brain,  populous,  animated,  full  of 
new  personages  who  will  live  forever  there,  whom 
I  can  evoke  at  will,  and  can  converse  with  them,  and 
live  again  in  Africa.  But  with  this  glad  feeling 
comes  another  which  is  sad,  the  inevitable  sentiment 
that  throws  a  shadow  over  all  our  serene  hours  and 
drops  a  drop  of  bitterness  into  all  our  pleasures— 
that  which  the  Moorish  merchant  expressed  when 
he  demonstrated  the  vanity  of  the  great  efforts  of 
civilized  people  to  study,  to  seek,  to  discover  ;  and 
then  this  beautiful  journey  seems  to  me  only  the 
rapid  passage  of  a  fine  scene  in  the  spectacle  of  an 
hour,  which  is  life  ;  and  my  pencil  drops  from  my 
hand,  and  a  dark  discouragement  takes  possession 
of  me,  Ah !  the  voice  of  Selam  calls  me  !  We 
must  go,  then.  To  return  to  the  tent,  to  the  war- 
like manoeuvres,  the  wide  plains,  the  great  light,  the 
joyous  and  wholesome  life  of  the  encampment. 
Farewell,  Fez !  Farewell,  sadness !  My  little  Afri- 
can world  is  again  illuminated  with  rose  color. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MECHINEZ. 

AFTER  twenty-four  days  of  city  life  the  caravan 
impressed  me  as  a  new  spectacle.  And  yet 
nothing  was  changed,  except  that  beside  Moham- 
med Ducali  rode  the  Moor,  Schellal,  who,  although 
his  business  had  been  amicably  settled,  thought  it 
more  prudent  to  return  to  Tangiers  under  the  wing 
of  the  Ambassador  than  to  remain  in  Fez  under 
that  of  his  government.  An  acute  observer  might 
also  have  observed  upon  our  faces,  if  he  were  a 
pessimist,  a  certain  annoyance  ;  if  an  optimist,  a 
calm  serenity,  which  was  derived  from  a  profound 
consciousness  in  all,  that  we  had  left  behind  in  the 
imperial  capital  no  pining  beauty,  no  offended  hus- 
band, no  distracted  family.  On  all  our  faces  also 
shone  the  thought  of  return — that  is,  on  as  much 
as  could  be  seen  of  them  under  the  umbrellas,  veils, 
handkerchiefs,  with  which  most  of  us  had  concealed 
our  heads  for  shelter  against  the  ardent  sun  and 
suffocating  dust.  Alas  !  here  was  the  great  change. 
The  sun  of  May  was  changed  into  the  sun  of  June, 
the  thermometer  marked  forty-two  degrees  (centi- 

329 


330  MOROCCO. 

grade)  at  the   moment  of  departure,  and  before  us 
lay  two  hundred  miles  of  African  soil. 

To  return  to  Tangiers  we  had  to  go  to  Mechinez, 
from  thence  to  Laracce,  then  along  the  shores  of  the 
sea  to  Arzilla,  and  from  Arzilla  to  Ain-Dalia,  where 
we  had  first  encamped. 

We  took  three  days  to  go  to  Mechinez,  distant 
from  Fez  about  fifty  kilometres. 

The  country  did  not  present  any  marked  differ- 
ences to  that  which  we  had  traversed  in  going  to 
Fez  :  always  the  same  fields  of  grain  and  barley,  in 
some  of  which  they  were  beginning  to  reap  ;  the 
same  black  duars,  the  same  vast  spaces  covered 
with  dwarf  palms  and  lentiscus,  those  grand  undu- 
lations of  the  land,  rocky  hills,  dry  beds  of  torrents, 
solitary  palms,  white  tombs  of  saints,  splendidly 
peaceful  and  infinitely  sad.  But  because  of  the 
neighborhood  of  the  two  great  cities,  we  met  more 
people  than  on  the  way  between  Tangiers  and  Fez  : 
caravans  of  camels,  droves  of  cattle,  merchants 
bringing  troops  of  beautiful  horses  to  the  markets 
of  Fez,  saints  preaching  in  the  desert,  couriers  on 
foot  and  on  horseback,  groups  of  Arabs  armed 
with  reaping-hooks,  and  some  rich  Moorish  fami- 
lies going  to  Fez  with  their  servants  and  chattels. 
One  of  these — the  family  of  a  wealthy  merchant 
known  to  Ducali — formed  a  long  caravan.  First 
came  two  servants  armed  with  muskets  ;  and  be- 
hind them  the  head  of  the  family,  a  handsome  man 
of  a  stern  countenance,  with  a  black  beard  and  a  white 


MUCH  INEZ.  331 

turban,  riding  a  richly  caparisoned  mule  ;  with  one 
hand  he  held  the  reins,  and  sustained  a  child  of  two 
or  three  years  old,  seated  before  him  in  the  saddle ; 
with  the  other  he  clasped  the  hand  of  a  woman 
completely  veiled — perhaps  his  favorite  wife — who 
rode  behind  him  astride  of  the  mule's  crupper,  and 
who  held  him  round  the  waist  as  if  she  meant  to 
suffocate  him,  perhaps  in  fear  of  us.  Other  women, 
all  with  veiled  faces,  came  riding  on  other  mules 
behind  the  master  ;  armed  relations,  boys,  black 
servants  ;  women  with  babies  in  their  arms  ;  Arab 
servants  with  muskets  on  their  shoulders  ;  mules 
and  asses  laden  with  mattresses,  pillows,  coverings, 
plates,  and  other  matters;  and,  finally,  more  servants 
on  foot,  bearing  cages  full  of  canary-birds  and  par- 
rots. 

The  women,  as  they  passed  us,  wrapped  their 
veils  more  closely  about  them,  the  merchant  did  not 
look  at  us,  the  relations  gave  us  a  timid  glance,  and 
two  of  the  children  began  to  cry. 

From  these  spectacles  we  were  diverted  on  the 
third  day  by  a  sad  event.  Poor  Doctor  Miguerez, 
attacked  at  our  second  resting-place  by  the  atrocious 
pain  of  sciatica,  had  to  be  transported  to  Mechinez 
in  a  litter,  hastily  made  of  a  hammock  and  two  cur- 
tain-poles, and  suspended  between  two  mules  ;  and 
this  depressed  us  all.  The  caravan  was  divided  into 
two  parts.  J  cannot  express  how  painful  it  became 
to  see,  as  we  often  did,  that  litter  appear  behind  us 
on  the  top  of  a  hill  and  slowly  descend  into  the 


332  MOROCCO. 

valley,  surrounded  by  soldiers  on  horseback,  mule- 
teers, servants,  and  friends,  all  grave  and  silent  as  a 
funeral  cortege,  and  now  and  then  stopping  to  bend 
over  the  sick  man,  and  then  going  on,  signing  to  us 
from  afar  that  our  poor  friend  was  growing  worse. 
It  was  a  painful  spectacle,  but  a  fine  one  also,  giving 
to  the  caravan  the  air  of  the  afflicted  escort  of  a 
wounded  sultan. 

On  the  first  day  we  encamped  still  in  the  plain  of 
Fez ;  on  the  second,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Mduma  River,  at  about  five  hours  from  Mechinez. 
Here  we  had  a  very  pleasant  adventure.  Toward 
evening  we  all  went  down  to  the  bank  of  the  river, 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  camp,  near  a  large  duar, 
from  which  all  the  inhabitants  came  out  to  meet  us. 
There  was  a  bridge  there  of  masonry  ;  one  single 
arch,  of  Arab  construction,  and  old,  but  still  entire 
and  solid ;  and  beside  it  the  remains  of  another 
bridge,  partly  embedded  in  the  high  rocky  bank, 
and  partly  fallen  into  the  bed  of  the  river.  On  the 
opposite  shore,  at  about  fifty  paces  from  the  bridge, 
there  was  a  dilapidated  wall,  some  traces  of  founda- 
tions, and  a  few  big  hewn  stones  that  seemed  to 
have  once  belonged  to  an  important  building.  The 
country  all  about  was  deserted.  The  ruins,  we  were 
told,  were  those  of  an  Arabian  city,  called  Mduma, 
built  upon  the  remains  of  another  city  anterior  to 
the  Mussulman  invasion.  We  set  to  work  to  search 
among  the  stones  for  any  traces  of  Roman  construc- 
tion ;  but  we  found  or  recognized  none,  to  the  mani- 


MECHINEZ.  333 

fest  satisfaction  of  the  Arabs,  who  doubtless  be- 
lieved that  we  were  seeking,  on  the  faith  of  some  of 
our  diabolical  books,  some  hidden  treasures  of  the 
Rumli  (Romans),  from  whom,  according  to  them,  all 
Christians  are  direct  descendants. 

Captain  de  Boccard,  however,  recrossing  the 
bridge  to  return  to  the  camp,  saw  down  in  the  river, 
on  the  top  of  an  enormous  fragment  of  almost  py- 
ramidal form,  some  small  square  stones,  which  looked 
to  him  as  if  they  had  characters  engraved  upon 
them  ;  and  the  fact  that  they  were  there,  as  if  placed 
there  on  purpose  to  be  seen  from  the  bridge, 
made  the  supposition  of  value.  The  Captain  mani- 
fested his  intention  of  going  to  see  what  they  were. 
Everybody  advised  him  not  to.  The  river  banks 
were  very  steep,  the  bottom  encumbered  with 
pointed  rocks,  scattered  at  some  distance  from  each 
other,  the  current  strong  and  rapid,  the  fragment  of 
ruin  on  which  the  stones  lay  was  very  high,  and 
either  impossible  or  very  dangerous  of  access.  But 
Captain  de  Boccard  is  one  of  those  persons  who  are 
impossible  to  move  when  once  their  purpose  is 
fixed  :  they  will  do  it,  or  die.  We  had  not  yet  done 
dissuading  him,  when  he  was  already  down  the 
bank,  just  as  he  was,  with  his  horseman's  boots  and 
spurs.  A  hundred  Arabs  were  looking  on,  some 
fringed  along  the  river  banks,  some  leaning  over 
the  parapet  of  the  bridge.  As  soon  as  they  under- 
stood what  the  Captain  was  going  to  do,  the  enter- 
prise appeared  to  them  so  desperate,  that  they  be- 


334  MOROCCO. 

gan  to  laugh.  When  they  saw  him  stop  on  the 
edge  of  the  water  and  look  about  as  if  seeking  a 
passage,  they  imagined  that  his  courage  had  failed, 
and  all  burst  out  into  insolently  sonorous  laughter. 
"  Not  one  of  us,"  one  cried,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  has 
ever  succeeded  in  climbing  up  there  ;  we  shall  see 
whether  a  Nazarene  can  do  it." 

And  certainly  no  other  of  us  Italians  could  have 
done  it.  But  he  who  attempted  it  was,  as  it  hap- 
pened, the  most  active  personage  in  the  Embassy. 
The  laughter  of  the  Arabs  gave  him  the  final  im- 
pulse. He  gave  a  spring,  disappeared  into  the  midst 
of  the  bushes,  reappeared  upon  a  rock,  vanished 
again,  and  so  from  rock  to  rock,  springing  like  a  cat, 
clinging,  and  climbing,  and  slipping,  over  and  over 
again  risking  a  fall  into  the  river,  or  the  breaking  of 
his  bones,  came  to  the  foot  of  the  piece  of  ruin,  and 
without  taking  breath,  clinging  to  every  root  and 
every  projection,  he  reached  the  top,  and  stood  erect 
upon  it  like  a  statue.  We  all  drew  a  long  breath, 
the  Arabs  were  amazed,  and  Italian  honor  was  safe. 
The  Captain,  like  a  noble  victor,  deigned  not  even  a 
glance  at  his  crestfallen  adversaries,  and  as  soon  as 
he  had  satisfied  himself  that  the  supposed  engraved 
stones  were  nothing  but  fragments  of  mortar  that  had 
fallen  from  the  bridge,  came  down  by  the  other  side, 
and  with  a  few  jumps  gained  the  shore,  where  he 
was  received  with  the  honors  of  a  triumph. 

The  transit  from  Mduma  to  Mechinez  was  a 
succession  of  optical  illusions  of  so  singular  a  char- 


MECHINEZ,  335 

acter,  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  suffocating 
heat,  we  should  have  been  immensely  amused  by 
them.  At  about  two  hours  from  the  encampment, 
we  saw,  vaguely  gleaming  afar  off  in  a  vast  naked 
plain,  the  white  minarets  of  Mechinez,  and  rejoiced 
that  we  were  so  near  our  journey's  end.  But 
what  had  seemed  to  us  a  plain  was  in  reality  an 
interminable  succession  of  parallel  valleys,  separated 
by  large  waves  of  land  all  of  equal  height,  which 
presented  the  aspect  of  one  continued  surface ;  so 
that  as  we  went  forward  the  city  was  perpetually 
hidden  and  again  revealed,  as  if  it  were  peeping  at 
us ;  and  besides  that,  the  valleys  being  broken,  rocky, 
and  traversed  only  by  winding  and  difficult  paths,  our 
road  yet  to  be  accomplished  was  at  least  double  in 
distance  to  what  it  appeared  to  be ;  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  city  withdrew  as  we  advanced ;  at  every  valley 
our  hearts  opened  to  hope,  and  at  every  hill  we  de- 
spaired again,  and  voices  weak  and  high  were  heard, 
and  lamentable  sighs,  and  angry  propositions  to  re- 
nounce any  future  voyage  to  Africa,  for  whatever 
purpose  or  under  whatever  conditions  ;  when  sud- 
denly, as  we  came  out  of  a  grove  of  wild  olives,  the 
city  rose  before  us,  and  all  our  lamentations  were 
lost  in  exclamations  of  wonder. 

Mechinez,  spread  upon  a  long  hill,  surrounded  by 
gardens,  bounded  by  three  ranges  of  battlemented 
walls,  crowned  with  minarets  and  palms,  gay  and 
majestic,  like  a  suburb  of  Constantinople,  presented 
herself  to  our  eyes,  with  her  thousand  terraces 


336  MOROCCO. 

drawn  white  against  the  azure  of  the  sky.  Not  a 
cloud  of  smoke  issued  from  all  that  multitude  of 
houses ;  there  was  not  a  living  soul  to  be  seen,  either 
on  the  terraces  or  before  the  walls ;  nor  was  there  a 
sound  to  be  heard  :  it  seemed  a  deserted  city,  or  a 
scene  in  a  theatre. 

The  dinner  tent  was  pitched  in  a  bare  field,  at  two 
hundred  paces  from  one  of  the  fifteen  gates  of  the 
city,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  sat  down  to  satisfy,  as 
some  elegant  prose  writer  remarks,  "our  natural  tal- 
ent for  food  and  drink." 

We  were  scarcely  seated,  when  there  issued  from 
the  city  gate,  and  advanced  toward  the  encampment, 
a  company  of  horsemen  superbly  dressed  and  pre- 
ceded by  foot-soldiers. 

It  was  the  governor  of  Mechinez,  with  his  rela- 
tives and  officials.  At  about  twenty  paces  off  the) 
dismounted  from  their  horses,  which  were  covered 
with  trappings  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and 
rushed  toward  us  shouting  all  together  in  one  voice, 
"  Welcome !  welcome  !  welcome !  " 

The  governor  was  a  young  man  of  a  mild  coun- 
tenance, with  black  eyes  and  blacker  beard  ;  all  the 
others,  men  of  forty  or  fifty,  were  tall,  bearded, 
dressed  in  white,  and  as  neat  and  perfumed  as  if 
they  had  come  out  of  a  box.  They  all  pressed  our 
hands,  passing  round  the  table  with  a  tripping  step, 
and  smiling  graciously,  and  then  took  their  places 
behind  the  governor.  One  of  them,  seeing  a  bit  of 
bread  on  the  ground,  picked  it  up  and  put  it  on  the 


GATEWAY  AT  MECHINEZ. 


MECHINEZ.  33* 

table,  saying  something  which  probably  meant :  "  Ex- 
cuse me  ;  the  Koran  forbids  the  wasting  of  bread  ;  I 
am  doing  my  duty  as  a  good  Mussulman."  The 
governor  offered  us  the  hospitality  of  his  house, 
which  was  accepted.  Only  the  two  artists  and  I  re- 
mained in  the  camp,  and  waited  until  it  should  be 
cool  before  going  into  the  city. 

Selam  kept  us  company,  and  related  to  us  the 
wonders  of  Mechinez. 

"  At  Mechinez  are  the  most  beautiful  women  in 
Morocco,  the  finest  gardens  in  Africa,  and  the  most 
beautiful  imperial  palace  in  the  world."  Thus  he 
began  ;  and  in  fact  Mechinez  does  enjoy  such  fame 
in  the  empire.  To  be  a  native  of  Mechinez  is, 
for  a  woman,  to  be  beautiful,  and  for  a  man,  to  be 
jealous.  The  imperial  palace,  founded  by  Muley- 
Imael,  which  in  1703  had  in  it  four  thousand  women 
and  eight  hundred  and  sixty-seven  children,  had  an 
extent  of  two  miles  of  circuit,  and  was  ornamented 
with  marble  columns,  brought  partly  from  the  ruins 
of  the  city  of  Pharaoh,  near  Mechinez,  and  partly 
from  Leghorn  and  Marseilles.  There  was  a  great 
hall,  or  alkazar,  where  the  most  precious  European 
tissues  were  sold  ;  a  vast  market,  joined  to  the  city 
by  a  road  ornamented  with  a  hundred  fountains  ;  a 
park  of  immense  olive-trees  ;  seven  large  mosques  ; 
a  formidable  garrison  with  artillery,  that  held  the 
Berbers  of  the  mountains  in  check  ;  an  imperial 
treasure  of  five  hundred  millions  of  francs  ;  and  a 
population  of  fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  who  were 


338  MOROCCO. 

considered  as  the  most  cultured  and  the  most  hospi 
table  in  the  empire. 

Selam  described  in  a  low  voice  and  with  mysteri- 
ous gestures  the  place  where  the  treasure  was  kept, 
the  amount  of  which  no  one  knows  ;  but  it  must 
have  been  much  decreased  in  the  last  wars,  if  even 
it  is  still  worthy  of  the  name  of  treasure.  "  Within 
the  palace,"  he  said,  "  there  is  another  palace  all  of 
stone,  which  receives  the  light  from  above,  and  is 
surrounded  by  three  ranges  of  walls.  It  is  entered 
by  an  iron  door,  and  within  there  is  another,  and  yet 
another  iron  door.  After  these  three  doors  there  is 
a  dark,  low  passage,  where  lights  are  necessary,  and 
the  pavement,  walls,  and  roof  are  all  of  black  marble, 
and  the  air  smells  like  that  of  a  sepulchre.  At  the 
end  of  the  corridor,  there  is  a  great  hall,  and  in  the 
middle  of  it  an  opening  which  leads  to  a  deep  sub- 
terranean place,  where  three  hundred  negroes,  four 
times  a  year,  shovel  in  the  gold  and  silver  money 
which  the  Sultan  sends.  The  Sultan  looks  on  while 
this  is  done.  The  negroes  are  shut  up  for  life  in  the 
palace,  and  never  come  out  until  they  are  carried  out 
dead.  And  around  the  great  hall  there  are  ten 
earthen  jars  which  contain  the  heads  of  ten  slaves 
who  once  tried  to  steal.  Muley  Soliman  cut  off  all 
their  heads  as  soon  as  the  money  was  in  its  place. 
And  no  man  ever  came  out  of  that  palace  alive  except 
our  lord  the  Sultan." 

He  related  these  horrors  without  the  least  sign  of 
disapproval,  even  with  an  admiring  accent,  as  if 


M EC H INEZ.  339 

they  were  superhuman  and  fatal  events,  which  a 
man  must  not  judge,  nor  feel  any  other  sentiment 
concerning  them  save  one  of  mysterious  respect." 

"  There  was  once  a  king  of  Mechinez,"  he  re- 
sumed, with  unalterable  gravity,  standing  erect  be- 
fore our  tent,  with  his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sabre, 
"  who  wished  to  make  a  road  from  Mechinez  to  Mo- 
rocco, bordered  by  two  high  walls,  so  that  even  the 
blind  could  go  from  one  place  to  the  other  without  a 
guide.  And  this  perverse  and  cruel  king  had  a  ring 
by  whose  power  he  could  call  all  the  demons  to  his 
service.  And  he  called  them  and  made  them  work 
at  the  road.  There  were  thousands  and  thousands 
of  them,  and  every  one  of  them  carried  stones  that 
a  hundred  men  could  not  have  moved  an  inch,  and 
those  who  would  not  work,  the  king  had  them  built 
up  alive  in  the  wall,  and  their  bones  can  still  be 
seen."  (They  can  still  be  seen,  indeed,  but  they  are 
the  bones  of  Christian  slaves,  which  are  also  found 
in  the  walls  of  Salle  and  Rabat.) 

"  And  the  wall  was  built  for  the  length  of  a  day's 
journey,  and  everybody  rejoiced,  thinking  that  it 
would  soon  be  finished.  But  that  king  was  displeas- 
ing to  Allah,  and  Allah  did  not  choose  that  the  wall 
should  be  finished.  One  day  when  he  was  riding 
along,  a  poor  country-woman  stopped  him,  and  said, 
'  Where,  O  audacious  king,  is  this  road  to  end  ?' 
'  In  hell,'  answered  the  king,  in  a  rage.  '  Go  down 
there,  then ! '  cried  the  woman.  At  these  words  the 
king  fell  from  his  horse  dead,  the  walls  crumbled 


340  MOROCCO. 

away,  the  demons  scattered  the  stones  over  the 
country,  and  the  road  remains  to  this  day  unfinished 
forever." 

"And  do  you  believe  that  all  this  is  true,  Selam  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  Certainly,"  he  answered,  astonished  at  my  doubt. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  demons  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  believe  in  them !  I  should  like  to 
see  the  time  when  we  would  not  believe  in  them ! ' 

"  But  have  you  ever  seen  one  ?" 

"  Never !  And  for  that  reason  I  believe  that  there 
are  no  more  of  them  on  earth,  and  when  I  hear  any 
one  say,  '  Take  care  how  you  pass  at  night  through 
such  or  such  a  place,  because  there  are  demons 
there,'  I  go  at  once,  and  go  in  first  myself,  because  I 
know  that  the  demons  are  men,  and  with  a  good 
horse  between  my  knees,  and  a  good  musket  in  my 
hand,  I  am  afraid  of  nobody." 

"  And  why,  in  your  opinion,  are  there  no  more 
demons  now,  if  there  were  some  once  ?  " 

"Why,  because  the  world  was  not  always  the 
same  as  it  is  now.  I  might  as  well  ask  you  why 
men  were  once  taller,  and  the  days  longer  than  they 
are  now,  and  why  beasts  could  talk."  And  he  went 
off  shaking  his  head  with  a  compassionate  air. 

On  that  day,  as  the  Ambassador  was  dining  in 
the  city,  Selam  and  the  others  did  nothing  but  gal- 
lop between  the  town  and  the  tents,  to  the  great 
amusement  of  the  artists  and  myself,  because  the 
contrast  between  the  majesty  of  their  aspect  and  the 


MECHINEZ.  341 

humility  of  their  office  had  never  struck  us  before. 
There,  for  instance,  was  -Harried,  mounted  on  a  su- 
perb black  horse,  coming  out  at  a  gallop  from  the 
battlemented  gate  of  Mechinez,  and  darting  off  at 
full  speed  across  the  country.  His  tall  turban 
gleamed  in  the  sun  with  the  whiteness  of  snow  ;  his 
large  blue  mantle  floated  on  the  wind  like  a  royal 
garment  ;  his  poniard  glittered  ;  the  whole  of  his 
martial  and  gracious  figure  presented  the  dignity  of 
a  prince  and  the  boldness  of  a  warrior.  What  ro- 
mantic fancies  are  excited  in  the  mind  by  the  vision 
of  that  handsome  Mussulman  cavalier  flying  like  a 
phantom  under  the  walls  of  a  mediaeval  city! 
Whither  goes  he  ?  To  carry  off  the  loveliest  daugh- 
ter of  the  Pash#  of  Faraone  ;  to  defy  the  valorous 
Caid  of  Uazzan,  betrothed  to  the  lady  of  his  love  ; 
to  pour  out  his  griefs  into  the  bosom  of  the  aged 
saint  who  has  prayed  for  eighty  years  on  the  top 
of  Mount  Zerhun,  in  the  sacred  zania  of  Muley- 
Edris  ? 

Nothing  of  the  sort ;  he  is  coming  back  to  camp 
to  get  a  plate  of  fried  potatoes  for  the  Ambassador. 

Toward  sunset  the  two  painters  arid  myself, 
mounted  on  mules,  and  escorted  by  four  foot-soldiers 
of  the  governor  of  Mechinez,  set  out  for  the  city, 
our  guard  having  put  away  their  muskets,  and  being 
armed  only  with  sticks  and  knotted  cords.  Before 
starting,  however,  we  arranged  with  them,  through 
interpreter  Hamed,  that  whenever  we  all  should  clap 
our  hands  thrice,  in  whatever  quarter  of  the  city  we 


342  MOROCCO. 

might  be,  they  were  to  conduct  us  at  once  back  to 
the  encampment. 

Passing  two  outside  gates,  divided  by  a  steep  as- 
cent, we  found  ourselves  in  the  centre  of  the  city. 
The  first  impression  was  one  of  agreeable  surprise. 
Mechinez,  which  we  had  fancied  as  more  melan- 
choly than  Fez,  was,  on  the  contrary,  a  gay  city,  full 
of  verdure,  traversed  by  many  winding  streets,  but 
broad,  and  bordered  by  low  houses  and  garden 
walls  that  allowed  the  tops  of  the  beautiful  hills 
around  to  be  seen.  On  every  side  there  rose  above 
the  houses  a  minaret,  a  palm,  a  battlemented  wall ;  at 
every  step  a  fountain  or  an  arabesqued  door  ap- 
peared ;  there  were  oaks  and  leafy  fig-trees  in  the 
streets  and  squares,  and  everywhere  air,  and  light, 
and  the  odor  of  the  fields,  and  a  certain  gentle 
peacefulness,  as  of  a  princely  city,  fallen,  but  not 
dead.  After  many  turns,  we  came  out  in  a  vast 
square,  opposite  the  monumental  palace  of  the  gov- 
ernor, resplendent  with  many-colored  mosaics  of 
great  beauty  ;  and,  at  that  moment,  the  level  rays  of 
the  setting  sun  striking  full  upon  it,  it  glittered  like 
the  pearl-encrusted  palaces  of  the  Oriental  legends. 
A  few  soldiers  were  going  through  the  powder-play 
(guioco  dclla  polvere) ;  about  fifty  servants  and  guards 
were  sitting  on  the  ground  before  the  door  ;  the 
piazza  was  deserted.  It  was  a  fine  spectacle.  That 
illuminated  fa9ade,  those  horsemen,  the  towers,  the 
solitude,  and  the  sunset  formed  altogether  a  picture 
so  completely  Moorish,  breathed  so  vivid  an  air  of 


MECHINEZ.  343 

other  times,  presented  in  one  frame  so  many  stories, 
so  much  poetry,  so  many  dreams,  that  we  stood 
rapt  before  it.  From  thence  the  soldiers  led  us  to 
see  a  great  exterior  gate  of  noble  design,  covered 
from  top  to  bottom  with  delicate  and  many-colored 
mosaics,  which  glowed  in  the  sun  like  jewels  set  in 
ivory  ;  and  the  painters  sketched  it  in  all  haste  be- 
fore we  returned  to  the  city.  Until  now,  the  people 
we  met  by  the  way  had  shown  themselves  only  cu- 
rious, and  it  seemed  to  us  that  they  even  regarded 
us  with  more  benevolent  eyes  than  the  population  of 
Fez.  But  suddenly,  without  a  shadow  of  reason, 
their  humor  changed.  Some  old  women  began  to 
show  us  the  whites  of  their  eyes,  then  some  boys 
threw  stones  at  our  mules'  legs,  and  then  a  troop  of 
ragamuffins  began  to  run  beside  us  and  behind  us, 
making  the  most  infernal  noise.  The  soldiers,  mean- 
time, were  in  no  humor  for  compliments.  Two 
placed  themselves  in  front  and  two  behind  us,  and 
they  began  a  real  combat  with  the  rabble,  striking 
the  nearest  with  their  sticks,  throwing  stones  at  those 
far  away,  and  chasing  the  most  insolent.  But  it  was 
all  labor  thrown  away.  Not  daring  to  retort  with 
stones,  the  rabble  began  to  throw  rotten  oranges,  bits 
of  lemon-peel,  dry  sticks,  and  the  shower  became  so 
heavy,  that  it  seemed  to  us  more  prudent  to  advise 
the  soldiers  to  desist  from  further  provocation.  But 
the  soldiers  were  provoked,  and  either  did  not  or 
would  not  hear  us,  and  continued  the  battle  with  in- 
creasing fury.  Indignant  at  their  brutality,  we 


344  MOROCCO. 

warned  them  with  imperative  gestures  to  desist. 
But  the  wretches  thought  we  were  reproving  them 
for  too  much  mildness,  and  went  on  worse  than 
ever.  By  way  of  addition,  two  boys  of  ten  and 
twelve  years  old  now  joined  us — possibly  relations 
of  the  soldiers — and  armed  with  sticks  ;  they  too 
began  to  distribute  the  most  desperate  blows  to  men, 
women,  asses,  mules,  near  and  far,  until  even  the 
soldiers  themselves  counselled  moderation.  And  at 
every  blow  they  turned  and  looked  at  us,  as  if  to 
ask  us  to  take  note  of  their  zeal  in  our  defence  ;  and 
as  we  were  in  fits  of  laughter,  they  were  encouraged 
and  went  on  worse  than  ever.  Now  what  will 
happen  ?  we  said  to  each  other.  A  scandal !  A  rev- 
olution !  Already  the  beaten  ones  grumbled,  and 
some  raised  their  hands  against  the  boys ;  we  must 
get  out  of  the  city  as  soon  as  may  be.  But  Biseo 
still  hesitated,  when  a  stone  struck  my  mule  on  the 
head,  and  a  carrot  alighted  on  the  back  of  Ussi's 
neck.  Then  we  decided  to  clap  our  hands  as  agreed 
upon.  But  even  this  innocent  signal  provoked  a 
tumult.  The  soldiers,  to  show  that  they  understood, 
responded  by  clapping  their  own  hands  ;  the  people 
in  the  square,  thinking  that  they  were  being  made 
game  of,  clapped  theirs,  and  the  oranges  and  lemons 
continued  to  rain  upon  us,  together  with  curses  loud 
and  deep ;  and  when  at  last  we  reached  the  gate, 
and  rode  down  toward  the  camp,  they  still  yelled 
after  us  from  the  walls :  "  Accursed  be  thy  father ! 
May  thy  race  be  exterminated  !  May  God  roast  thy 
great-grandfather !  " 


MECHINEZ.  345 

Thus  did  Mechinez  receive  us,  and  fortunate  for 
us  it  was  that  she  is  the  "most  hospitable  city  in  the 
empire." 

On  the  following  morning  there  was  brought  to 
the  camp  a  litter  for  the  doctor,  made  in  twenty-four 
hours  by  the  best  carpenters  in  Mechinez,  who 
would  certainly  have  taken  twenty-four  days  in  its 
construction,  if  the  governor  had  not  used  certain 
arguments  to  which  there  was  great  risk  in  being 
deaf.  It  was  a  heavy  and  badly  made  machine, 
which  looked  more  like  a  cage  for  the  transportation 
of  wild  beasts  than  a  litter  for  a  sick  man  ;  much 
better  made,  however,  than  any  thing  we  could  con- 
trive ;  and  the  workmen  who  completed  it  under 
our  eyes  were  so  proud  of  it,  and  so  sure  of  our  ad- 
miration, that  they  trembled  with  emotion  at  their 
work;  and  at  every  word  from  us  sent  flashes  from 
their  eyes.  When  Morteo  put  the  money  in  their 
hands  they  thanked  him  gravely,  and  went  away 
with  a  triumphant  smile,  which  meant — "  Ignorant 
proud  ones,  we  have  let  you  see  what  we  can 
do!" 

Toward  evening  we  left  Mechinez,  and  travelled 
for  two  hours  over  the  loveliest  country  that  was 
ever  seen  in  his  dreams  by  an  enamored  painter. 
I  see,  I  feel  still  the  divine  grace  of  those  verdant 
hills,  sprinkled  with  rose-trees,  myrtles,  oleanders, 
flowering  aloes ;  the  splendor  of  that  city  gilded  by 
the  sun,  hiding  from  our  sight  minaret  by  minaret, 
palm-tree  by  palm-tree,  terrace  by  terrace,  and 


MOROCCO. 

the  air  impregnated  with  inebriating  perfume,  and 
the  waters  reflecting  the  thousand  colors  of  the 
escort,  and  the  infinite  melancholy  of  that  rosy  sky. 
I  still  see  and  feel  all  this,  and  know  not  how  to  de- 
scribe it. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ON  THE  SEBIJ. 

IT  was  noon  of  the  fifth  day  after  our  departure 
from  Fez,  when,  after  a  five  hours'  ride  through 
a  succession  of  deserted  valleys,  we  passed  once 
more  through  the  gorge  of  Beb-el-Tinca,  and  saw 
again  before  us  the  vast  plain  of  the  Sebu  inundated 
by  a  white,  ardent,  implacable  light,  of  which  the 
memory  alone  makes  my  face  glow.  All,  except 
the  Ambassador  and  the  captain,  who  participated 
in  the  fabled  virtue  of  the  salamander,  that  lives  in 
fire  without  being  burned,  covered  their  heads  like 
brethren  of  the  Misericordia,  wrapped  themselves 
in  their  mantles  and  cloaks,  and  without  a  word, 
with  heads  down,  and  eyes  half  closed,  descended 
into  the  terrible  plain,  confiding  in  the  clemency  of 
God.  Once  the  voice  of  the  commandant  was 
heard  announcing  that  a  horse  was '  dead  already. 
One  of  the  baggage-horses  had  fallen  dead.  No 
one  made  any  comment.  "  Horses,"  added  the 
commandant,  spitefully,  "  always  die  first."  These 
words  also  were  received  in  mortal  silence.  In 
about  half  an  hour  another  faint  voice  was  heard, 

347 


348  MOROCCO. 

asking  Ussi  to  whom  he  had  bequeathed  his  picture 
of  Bianca  Cappello.  Throughout  the  journey  these 
were  the  only  words  heard.  The  heat  oppressed  all. 
Even  the  soldiers  were  silent.  The  caid,  Hamed 
Ben-Kasen,  in  spite  of  the  great  turban  that  shaded 
his  visage,  was  dripping  with  sweat.  Poor  general ! 
That  very  morning  he  had  shown  me  an  attention 
that  I  shall  remember  all  my  life.  Noticing  that  I 
lagged  behind,  he  came  up,  and  banged  my  mule 
with  such  heartfelt  zeal,  that  in  a  few  moments 
I  was  carried  at  a  gallop  in  front  of  all  the  others, 
bouncing  in  my  saddle  like  an  india-rubber  automa- 
ton, and  reached  the  camp  five  minutes  in  advance 
of  them  all,  with  my  inside  upside  down,  and  my 
heart  full  of  gratitude. 

That  day  no  one  came  out  of  his  tent  until  the 
dinner  hour,  and  the  dinner  was  silent,  as  if  all  were 
still  oppressed  by  the  heat  of  the  day.  One  event 
alone  aroused  some  excitement  in  the  camp.  We 
were  at  dessert,  when  we  heard  a  sound  of  lamen- 
tation proceeding  from  the  escort's  quarters,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  noise  of  regular  blows,  as  of  some 
one  being  whipped.  Thinking  it  to  be  some  joke 
of  the  servants  and  soldiers,  we  took,  at  first,  no 
notice  of  it.  But  suddenly  the  cries  become  excru- 
ciating, and  we  heard  distinctly,  in  an  accent  of  sup- 
plicating invocation,  the  name  of  the  founder  of  Fez 
— "  Muley-Edris  !  Muley-Edris!  Muley-Edris!" 

We  all  rose  at  once  from  the  table,  and  running 
to  the  quarter  whence  the  noise  proceeded,  arrived 


ON   THE  SEBU.  349 

in  time  to  see  a  sad  spectacle.  Two  soldiers  held 
suspended  between  them,  one  by  the  shoulders,  the 
other  by  the  feet,  an  Arab  servant ;  a  third  was  fu- 
riously flogging  him  with  a  whip ;  a  fourth  held  up 
a  lantern  ;  the  rest  stood  round  in  a  circle,  and  the 
caid  looked  on  with  folded  arms. 

The  Ambassador  ordered  the  instant  release  of 
the  victim,  who  went  off  sobbing  and  crying,  and 
asked  the  caid  what  this  meant.  "Oh,  nothing, 
nothing,"  he  answered  ;  "  only  a  little  correction." 
He  then  added  that  the  man  was  punished  because 
he  had  persisted  in  throwing  little  balls  of  cuscussii 
at  his  companions,  a  grave  offence,  in  a  Mussulman 
a  sacrilege,  because  he  is  commanded  to  respect 
every  kind  of  aliment  produced  by  the  earth  as  a 
gift  of  God.  As  he  spoke,  the  poor  caid,  a  kind 
man  at  heart,  did  not  succeed  in  concealing,  how- 
ever he  might  wish  to  do  so,  the  pain  and  pity  that 
he  felt  at  being  forced  to  inflict  the  castigation  ; 
and  this  sufficed  to  restore  him  to  his  place  in  my 
heart. 

In  the  night  we  were  awakened  by  a  burning  hot 
wind  from  the  east,  which  drove  us  panting  from  our 
tents,  in  search  of  air  that  we  could  breathe  ;  and  at 
dawn  we  resumed  our  journey  under  a  sky  that  an- 
nounced a  hotter  day  than  the  preceding  one.  The 
heavens  were  covered  with  clouds,  on  one  side  all 
on  fire  with  the  rising  sun,  and  broken  here  and 
there  by  dazzling  beams  of  light ;  on  the  opposite 
side  all  was  black,  striped  by  oblique  streaks  of  rain. 


350  MOROCCO. 

From  this  troubled  sky  there  fell  a  strange  light, 
which  seemed  to  have  passsed  through  a  yellow  veil, 
and  tinted  the  stubble  fields  with  an  angry  sulphur- 
ous color  that  offended  the  eye.  Far  off  the  wind 
raised  and  whirled  about  with  furious  rapidity  im- 
mense clouds  of  dust.  The  country  was  solitary,  the 
air  heavy,  the  horizon  hidden  by  a  veil  of  leaden- 
colored  vapor.  Without  ever  having  seen  the  Sa- 
hara, I  imagined  that  it  might  sometimes  present 
that  same  aspect,  and  was  about  to  say  so,  when 
Ussi,  who  has  been  in  Egypt,  stopping  suddenly,  ex- 
claimed in  wonder:  "This  is  the  desert!  " 

After  four  hours'  journey  we  arrived  upon  the 
bank  of  the  Sebli,  where  we  were  met  by  twenty 
horsemen  of  the  Beni-Hassen,  led  by  a  handsome 
boy  of  twelve,  the  son  of  the  governor,  Sid-Abdal- 
lah.  They  came  to  meet  us  at  a  gallop,  with  the 
usual  shouts  and  discharges  of  musketry. 

The  camp  was  pitched  in  all  haste  near  the  river, 
on  a  bare  piece  of  ground,  full  of  deep  gullies  ; 
and  having  breakfasted  quickly,  we  withdrew  to  our 
tents. 

This  was  the  hottest  day  of  the  journey. 

I  will  try  to  give  a  distant  idea  of  our  torments. 
Let  the  gentle  reader  prepare  his  or  her  heart  to  feel 
profound  compassion.  I  wipe  my  dripping  brows, 
and  begin. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  my  two  com- 
panions and  I  withdrew  to  our  tents,  the  thermome- 
ter marked  forty-two  degrees  centigrade  in  the 


ON   THE   SEBU,  351 

shade  (about  107^°  Fahrenheit).  For  about  an 
hour  the  conversation  continued  animated.  After 
that  we  began  to  find  a  certain  difficulty  in 
terminating  our  periods,  and  were  reduced  to 
simple  propositions-  Then,  as  it  cost  too  much 
fatigue  to  put  subject,  verb,  and  attribute  together, 
we  stopped  talking  and  tried  to  sleep.  It  was  use- 
less. The  hot  beds,  the  flies,  thirst,  and  restlessness, 
would  not  let  us  close  an  eye.  After  much  fretting 
and  fuming,  we  resigned  ourselves  to  stay  awake, 
and  tried  to  cheat  the  weary  time  in  some  occupa- 
tion. But  it  could  not  be  done.  Cigars,  pipes, 
books,  maps,  all  dropped  from  our  nerveless  hands. 
I  tried  to  write :  at  the  third  line  the  page  was 
bathed  in  the  perspiration  that  streamed  from  my 
forehead  like  water  from  a  squeezed  sponge.  I  felt 
my  whole  body  traversed  by  innumerable  springs, 
which  intersected,  followed,  joined  each  other,  form- 
ing confluents  and  streams,  running  down  my  arms 
and  hands,  and  watering  the  ink  in  the  point  of  my 
pen.  In  a  few  minutes  handkerchiefs,  towels,  veils, 
every  thing  that  could  serve  the  purpose,  were  as 
wet  as  if  they  had  been  dipped  in  a  bucket.  We 
had  a  barrel  full  of  water  ;  we  tried  ;o  drink,  it  was 
boiling.  We  poured  it  out ;  it  had  hardly  touched 
the  earth  when  no  trace  of  it  could  be  seen.  At 
noon  the  thermometer  marked  forty-four  and  a  half 
degrees.  The  tent  was  an  oven.  Every  thing  we 
touched  scorched  us.  I  put  my  hand  on  my  head, 
and  it  felt  like  a  stove.  The  beds  heated  us  so  that 


352  MOROCCO. 

we  could  not  lie  down.  I  tried  to  put  my  foot  out- 
side the  tent,  and  the  ground  was  scorching.  No 
one  spoke  any  more.  Only  now  and  then  was  heard 
a  languid  exclamation  :  "  It  is  death."  "  I  cannot 
bear  this."  "  I  shall  go  mad."  Ussi  put  his  head 
out  of  the  tent  for  an  instant,  his  eyes  starting  out  of 
his  head,  murmured  in  a  suffocated  voice,  "  I  shall 
die,"  and  disappeared.  Diana,  the  poor  dog,  lying 
down  near  the  commandant's  bed,  panted  as  if  she 
were  at  her  last  gasp.  Outside  of  the  tent  no  hu- 
man voice  was  heard,  no  human  being  was  visible, 
the  camp  seemed  deserted.  The  horses  neighed  in 
a  lamentable  manner.  The  doctor's  litter,  standing 
near  our  tent,  cracked  as  if  it  were  splitting  in  pieces. 
Suddenly  we  heard  the  voice  of  Selam  running  by, 
and  calling  out,  "  One  of  the  dogs  is  dead." 

"One  !  "  answered  the  faint  voice  of  the  command- 
ant, facetious  to  the  last. 

At  one  o'clock  the  thermometer  marked  forty- 
six  and  a  half  degrees.  Then  even  complaints 
ceased.  The  commandant,  the  vice-consul,  and  I 
lay  stretched  on  the  ground  motionless,  like  dead 
bodies.  In  the  whole  camp  the  Ambassador  and  the 
captain  were  perhaps  the  only  Christians  who  still 
gave  signs  of  life.  I  do  not  remember  how  long  this 
condition  lasted. .  I  was  steeped  in  a  sort  of  stupor, 
dreaming  with  my  eyes  open,  and  a  thousand  con- 
fused images  of  cool  spots  and  frozen  objects  chased 
each  other  through  my  brain  :  I  was  springing  from 
a  rock  into  a  lake,  I  was  putting  the  back  of  my  neck 


ON   THE   SEBU.  353 

against  the  spout  of  a  pump,  I  was  building  a  house 
of  ice,  I  was  devouring  all  the  ices  in  Naples,  and 
the  more  I  sprinkled  myself  with  water  and  drank 
cool  drinks,  the  hotter,  the  thirstier,  the  wilder  I  be- 
came. At  last  the  captain  exclaimed  in  a  sepulchral 
voice  :  "  Forty-seven  !  "  *  It  was  the  last  voice  I  re- 
member to  have  heard. 

Toward  evening  the  son  of  the  governor  of  the 
Beni-Hassen,  the  boy  whom  we  had  seen  in  the 
morning,  came  to  visit  the  Ambassador  in  the  name  of 
his  father,  who  was  ill.  He  entered  the  camp  on 
horseback,  accompanied  by  an  officer  and  two  sol- 
diers, who  took  him  in  their  arms  when  he  dis- 
mounted, and  advanced  with  solemn  step  toward  the 
Ambassador,  trailing  his  long  blue  mantle  like  a 
robe,  with  his  left  hand  upon  the  hilt  of  a  sabre 
longer  than  himself,  and  his  right  extended  in  salu- 
tation. 

In  the  morning,  seen  on  horseback,  he  had  seemed 
a  handsome  boy ;  an'd  he  had  indeed  beautiful  pen- 
sive eyes  and  a  small  pallid  oval  face ;  but  on  foot, 
we  saw  that  he  was  ricketty  and  deformed.  From 
this  no  doubt  came  his  melancholy  looks.  In  all  the 
time  he  remained  with  us,  no  smile  moved  his  lip, 
his  face  never  brightened  for  a  moment.  He  looked 
at  us  all  with  a  profound  attention,  and  answered  the 
Ambassador's  questions  with  short  sentences,  spoken 
in  low  tones.  Once  only  a  gleam  of  pleasure  came 
into  his  eyes  ;  it  was  when  the  Ambassador  told  him 

*  About  116^°  Fahrenheit. 


354  MOROCCO. 

that  he  had  admired,  in  the  morning,  his  bold  and 
graceful  riding  ;  but  it  was  only  a  gleam. 

Although  all  our  eyes  were  upon  him,  and  this 
was  probably  the  first  time  that  he  had  appeared  in 
an  official  capacity  before  a  European  embassy,  he 
showed  no  shadow  of  embarrassment.  He  slowly 
drunk  his  tea,  ate  some  sweetmeats,  whispered  in 
the  ear  of  his  officer,  settled  two  or  three  times  his 
little  turban  on  his  head,- looked  attentively  at  our 
boots,  and  showed  that  he  was  a  little  bored  ;  then, 
in  taking  leave,  he  pressed  the  Ambassador's  hand 
to  his  breast,  and  returned  to  his  horse  with  the 
same  royal  gravity  with  which  he  had  approached 
the  tent. 

Lifted  into  the  saddle  by  his  attendants,  he  said 
once  more,  "  Peace  be  with  you!  "  and  galloped  off, 
followed  by  his  small  and  hooded  staff. 

That  same  evening  several  sick  people  came  to 
consult  the  doctor,  who,  with  the  dragoman  Solomon 
and  a  company  of  soldiers,  had*  started  a  little  earlier 
for  Tangiers,  by  the  way  of  Alkazar.  Among  the 
rest  came  a  poor  half- naked  boy,  lean,  and  with  his 
eyes  in  such  a  state  that  he  could  see  with  difficulty, 
while  he  seemed  exhausted  with  fatigue.  "  What 
do  you  want?"  asked  Morteo.  "  I  seek  the  Chris- 
tian physician,"  he  answered  in  a  trembling  voice. 
When  he  heard  that  he  was  gone,  he  stood  a  mo- 
ment as  if  stunned,  and  then  cried  out  in  despair  : 
"Am  I  to  lose  my  sight  then  !  I  have  come  eight 
miles  to  be  cured  by  the  Christian  physician !  I 


ON   THE   SEBU.  355 

must  see  him !"  and  he  broke  out  into  sobs  and 
tears.  Morteo  put  some  money  into  his  hand,  which 
he  received  with  indifference,  and  pointing  out  the 
way  which  the  doctor  had  taken,  told  him  that  if  he 
walked  quickly  he  might  perhaps  overtake  him. 
The  boy  stood  a  moment  uncertain,  looking  with 
eyes  full  of  tears,  and  then  slowly  limped  away. 

The  sun  went  down  that  evening  under  an  im- 
mense pavilion  of  gold  and  flame  color,  and  striking 
across  the  plains  his  last  blood-colored  beams,  set 
behind  the  straight  line  of  the  horizon  like  a  mon- 
strous glowing  disk  that  was  sinking  into  the  bowels 
of  the  earth. 

And  the  night  was  almost  cold ! 

In  the  morning  at  sunrise,  we  were  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Sebu,  at  the  same  point  where  we  had 
crossed  coming  from  Tangiers  ;  and  we  had  hardly 
reached  it  before  we  saw  appear  upon  the  opposite 
bank,  with  his  officers  and  soldiers,  the  governor, 
Sid-Bekr-ei-Abbassf,  with  the  same  white  vesture, 
and  the  same  black  horse  caparisoned  in  sky  blue, 
with  which  he  had  the  first  time  appeared. 

But  the  passage  of  the  river  presented  this  time  an 
unforeseen  difficulty. 

Of  the  two  boats  on  which  we  were  to  cross,  one 
was  in  pieces  ;  the  other  broken  in  more  than  one 
place,  and  half  sunk  in  the  mud  of  the  shore.  The 
little  duar  inhabited  by  the  boatmen's  families  was 
deserted  ;  the  river  was  dangerous  to  ford,  and  no 
other  boat  to  be  had  except  at  a  distance  of  a  day's 


356  MOROCCO. 

journey.  How  were  we  to  cross,  and  what  was  to 
be  done  ?  A  soldier  swam  across  and  carried  the 
notice  to  the  governor,  who  sent  another  soldier  by 
the  same  road  to  explain.  The  boatmen  had  been 
notified  the  night  before  to  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness for  the  passage  of  the  Ambassador  and  his 
suite,  who  would  arrive  in  the  morning  ;  but  finding 
the  boats  in  an  unserviceable  condition,  and  not  be- 
ing capable,  or  not  choosing  to  endure  the  fatigue 
of  mending  them,  they  had  fled  during  the  night, 
heaven  knows  where,  with  their  families  and  animals, 
to  avoid  punishment  by  the  governor.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  done  but  to  try  and  mend  the  least 
broken  of  the  two  boats,  and  this  we  did.  The  sol- 
diers went  off  to  get  men  from  the  neighboring 
duars,  and  the  work  was  begun  under  the  direction 
of  Luigi,  one  of  the  two  sailors,  who  on  that,  to  him 
memorable  occasion,  gloriously  sustained  the  honor 
of  the  Italian  marine.  It  was  good  to  see  how 
the  Arabs  and  Moors  labored.  Ten  of  them  to- 
gether, yelling  and  flying  about,  did  not  do  in  half 
an  hour  the  work  that  Luigi  and  Ranni,  in  military 
silence,  did  in  five  minutes.  Everybody  gave  or- 
ders, everybody  criticized,  everybody  got  angry, 
everybody  cut  the  air  with  imperious  gestures,  until 
they  all  seemed  like  so  many  admirals,  and  not  one 
of  them  accomplished  any  thing.  Meantime  the 
governor  and  the  caid  conversed  in  loud  voices 
across  the  river  ;  the  soldiers  careered  about  at  a 
gallop  seeking  the  fugitives  along  the  banks  ;  the 


ON    THE   SEBU.  357 

sumpter  beasts  forded  the  river  in  a  long  file  with 
water  up  to  their  necks  ;  the  workmen  chanted  the 
praises  of  the  Prophet,  and  on  the  opposite  shore 
arose  a  great  blue  tent  under  which  the  slaves  of 
Sid-Bekr-el-Abbassi  were  busy  in  preparing  an  ex- 
quisite collation  of  figs,  sweetmeats,  and  tea,  which 
we  watched  through  our  glasses,  humming  the  while 
a  chorus  from  a  semi-serious  opera,  composed  dur- 
ing our  sojourn  at  Fez.  and  called  "  Gl'  Itcdiani  nel 
Marocco" 

With  the  aid  of  the  Prophet,  the  boat  was  ready 
within  two  hours  ;  Ranni  took  us  on  his  shoulders, 
and  deposited  us  one  by  one  on  the  prow,  and  we 
reached  the  other  side,  with  our  feet  up  to  the  ankles 
in  water,  that  came  in  on  every  side,  but  without 
having  been  forced  to  swim  for  it ;  a  good  fortune, 
of  which  we  were  not  sure  at  our  departure. 

The  governor,  Sid-Bekr-el-Abbassi,  who  had 
heard  of  the  praises  which  the  Ambassador  had  be- 
stowed upon  him  to  the  Sultan,  was  more  amiable 
and  fascinating  to  us  than  ever.  After  a  little  rest, 
we  went  on  to  Karia-el-Abbassi,  which  we  reached 
about  noon,  and  were  received  and  passed  the  hot 
hours  in  the  same  white  chamber  in  which  thirty- 
five  days  before  we  had  seen  the  pretty  little  daugh- 
ter of  our  host  peep  at  us  from  behind  the  paternal 
turban. 

Here  Sid-Bekr-el-Abbassi  presented  to  the  Am- 
bassador, among  other  people,  a  Moor  of  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  of  a  noble  aspect  and  agreeable 


358  MOROCCO. 

manners,  whom  none  of  us,  I  think,  have  since  for- 
gotten, because  of  the  strange  things  we  were  told 
about  his  family.  He  was  the  brother  of  one  Sid- 
Bomedi,  formerly  governor  of  the  province  of 
Ducalla,  who  languished  for  eight  years  in  the  dun- 
geons of  Fez.  A  tyrant  and  a  prodigal,  after  having 
bled  his  people,  he  contracted  ruinous  loans  with 
European  merchants,  accumulated  debt  upon  debt, 
brought  the  wrath  of  God  within  and  without  his 
house,  was  arrested  and  taken  to  Fez  by  order  of  the 
Sultan,  who,  believing  him  to  be  the  possessor  of 
hidden  treasures,  had  his  house  pulled  down  and 
search  made  among  the  ruins  and  under  the  founda- 
tions, and  banished  from  the  province,  under  pain 
of  death,  all  his  family,  in  the  fear  that  they,  know- 
ing the  hiding-place,  would  get  possession  of  the 
money.  But,  nothing  being  found — perhaps  because 
there  was  nothing — and  the  Sultan  still  persisting  in 
his  belief  in  a  treasure  which  the  prisoner  knew  and 
refused  to  reveal,  the  latter  had  never  more  beheld 
the  light  of  the  sun,  and  was,  perhaps,  condemned 
to  die  in  prison.  And  the  case  of  Sid-Bomedi  is 
not  rare  among  the  governors  of  Morocco,  who, 
being  all  more  or  less  enriched  at  the  expense  of 
their  people,  furnish  the  government  that  wishes  to 
get  possession  of  their  wealth,  the  advantage  of 
doing  so  under  color  of  punishing  a  guilty  man. 

The  governor,  or  the  pasha  upon  whom  the  gov- 
ernor has  set  his  eye,  is  called  in  a  friendly  manner 
to  Fez,  or  to  Morocco,  or  perhaps  arrested  suddenly 


ON    THE   SEBV  359 

in  the  night  by  a  company  of  the  imperial  soldiers, 
who  take  him  by  forced  marches  to  the  capital,  tied 
on  the  crupper  of  a  mule,  with  his  head  hanging 
down  and  his  face  turned  to  the  sun.  As  soon  as 
he  arrives  he  is  loaded  with  chains  and  thrown  into 
a  dungeon.  If  he  reveals  the  hiding-place  of  his 
wealth,  he  is  sent  back  with  honor  to  his  province, 
where  in  a  little  while,  by  worse  exactions  than  be- 
fore, he  can  make  up  again  that  which  has  been 
taken  from  him.  If  he  will  not  reveal  it,  he  is  left 
to  rot  in  his  prison,  and  bastinadoed  every  day  until 
the  blood  comes,  until,  reduced  to  extremity,  he  de- 
cides to  speak  rather  than  perish  in  chains.  If  he 
reveals  only  in  part,  he  is  bastinadoed  just  the  same, 
until  he  has  made  a  clean  breast  of  it.  Some  of  the 
more  astute  ones,  foreseeing  the  catastrophe  in  time, 
turn  it  aside  by  going  in  person  to  the  court  with  a 
long  caravan  of  camels  and  mules  laden  with  precious 
gifts  ;  but  in  order  to  make  these  gifts,  they  are 
obliged  to  spend  a  large  part  of  their  wealth  ;  and 
it  follows  that  their  safety  is  scarcely  less  fatal  to  the 
provinces  governed  by  them  than  if  they  were  to  re- 
turn from  their  prison  despoiled  of  all  their  treasure. 
Some,  also,  die  in  prison,  and  under  the  stick  make 
no  revelations,  in  order  to  leave  all  they  have  to 
their  families,  who  know  where  it  is  concealed  ;  and 
others  die  because  they  have  nothing  to  reveal.  But 
these  are  rare,  because  in  Morocco  it  is  the  custom 
to  hide  money,  and  it  is  known  that  the  Moors  are 
masters  in  the  art.  They  talk  of  treasures  built  up  un- 


360  MOROCCO. 

der  the  sill  of  the  house-door,  in  the  pilasters  of  the 
court,  in  the  stairs,  in  the  windows  ;  of  houses  de- 
molished stone  by  stone  to  the  foundations,  without 
the  discovery  of  a  treasure  that  was  really  there  ;  of 
slaves  killed  and  secretly  buried,  after  having  helped 
their  masters  to  conceal  it ;  and  the  vulgar  mix  with 
these  horrible  and  painful  truths  their  pretty  legends 
of  spirits  and  prodigies. 

The  governor,  el-Abbassi,  accompanied  us  toward 
evening  as  far  as  the  camp,  which  was  about  two 
hours  distant  from  his  house,  in  a  field  full  of  flowers 
and  tortoises,  between  the  river  Da,  which  divides 
itself  just  there  into  an  infinity  of  canals,  and  a 
beautiful  hill  crowned  by  the  green  cupola  of  a  saint's 
tomb.  At  a  gunshot  from  our  tents  was  a  large 
duar,  surrounded  by  aloes  and  the  Indian  fig.  All 
the  inhabitants  rushed  out  at  sight  of  us.  Then  we 
saw  how  much  the  governor  was  beloved  by  his 
people.  Old  men,  young  men,  youths  and  children, 
all  ran  to  him  to  have  his  hand  placed  upon  their 
heads,  and  then  went  away  content,  turning  back  to 
look  at  him  with  an  expression  of  affection  and 
gratitude.  The  presence,  however,  of  the  beloved 
governor  did  not  serve  to  protect  us  from  the  usual 
bitter  glances  and  the  usual  reproaches.  The  wom- 
en, half-hidden  behind  the  hedges,  with  one  hand 
pushed  forward  a  child  to  go  and  be  blessed  by  the 
governor,  and  with  the  other  sent  his  brother  to  tell 
us  that  we  were  dogs.  We  saw  babies  about  two 
feet  high,  quite  naked,  and  hardly  able  to  stand, 


ON    THE   SEBU.  361 

coming  tottering  toward  us,  and  showing  a  fist 
about  as  large  as  a  nut,  cry,  "  Accursed  be  thy 
father!"  and  because  they  were  afraid  to  come  alone 
they  made  groups  of  seven  or  eight,  so  compact  that 
they  might  all  have  been  carried  on  a  tray ;  and  ad- 
vancing with  a  threatening  air  to  within  ten  paces  oi 
us,  stammered  out  their  small  insolence.  How  they 
amused  us !  One  group  among  others  advanced 
against  Biseo  to  wish  that  some  relation  or  other  of 
his  might  be  roasted.  Biseo  raised  his  pencil ;  the 
two  first  falling  back  upon  the  others,  they  in  their 
turn  upon  those  behind,  half  the  army  presently  lay 
with  their  legs  in  the  air.  Even  the  governor  burst 
out  laughing. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

ARZILLA. 

AFTER  the  spectacle  of  great  cities  in  deca- 
dence, a  moribund  people,  and  a  lovely  but 
melancholy  landscape  ;  after  such  sleep,  such  old 
age,  and  such  ruin,  here  is  the  work  of  the  eternal 
hand,  and  here  is  immortal  youth  ;  here  is  the  air 
that  revives  the  blood,  the  beauty  that  refreshes  the 
heart,  the  immensity  in  which  the  soul  expands ! 
Here  is  the  ocean  !  With  what  a  thrill  of  delight 
we  salute  it !  The  unexpected  apparition  of  a  friend 
or  a  brother  could  not  have  been  dearer  to  our  hearts 
than  the  sight  of  that  distant  shining  curve  that 
gleamed  before  us  like  an  immense  sickle,  mowing 
down  Islamism,  slavery,  barbarism,  and  bearing  our 
thoughts  direct  and  free  to  Italy. 

"Bahr-el-Kibtrf"  exclaimed  some  soldiers.  (The 
great  sea.)  Others  said,  "Bahr-ed-Dholma!"  (The 
sea  of  darkness.)  All  involuntarily  hastened  their 
steps  ;  conversation,  which  had  begun  to  languish, 
was  re-animated  ;  the  servants  set  up  sacred  songs  ; 
the  whole  caravan,  in  a  lew  minutes,  assumed  an  air 
of  cheer  and  festivity. 

362 


ARZILLA.  363 

On  the  evening  of  June  igth  we  encamped  at 
three  hours'  distance  from  Laracce,  and  the  follow 
ing  morning  entered  the  city,  received  at  the  gate  by 
the  son  of  the  governor  ;  by  twenty  soldiers,  with- 
out muskets  or  breeches,  drawn  up  along  the  road ; 
by  almost  a  hundred  ragged  boys,  and  by  a  band 
composed  of  a  tambourine  and  a  trumpet,  who  came 
afterward  to  ask  for  money — giving  us  an  excruci- 
ating concert  in  the  court  of  the  Italian  Consular- 
Agent. 

Upon  that  coast,  sprinkled  with  dead  cities — such 
as  Sale,  Azamor,  San",  Santa  Cruz — Laracce  still 
preserves  a  little  commercial  life,  which  is  sufficient 
to  cause  her  to  be  considered  as  one  of  the  principal 
ports  of  Morocco.  Founded  by  a  Berber  tribe  in 
the  fifteenth  century,  fortified  at  the  end  of  the 
same  century  by  Muley-ben-Nassar,  abandoned  to 
Spain  in  1610,  retaken  by  Muley-Ismael  in  1689, 
still  flourishing  at  the  beginning  of  this  century,  with 
a  population  of  about  four  thousand,  between  Moors 
and  Hebrews,  it  rises  upon  the  incline  of  a  hill  to 
the  left  of  the  mouth  of  the  Kus,  the  Lixus  of  the 
ancients,  which  forms  for  it  an  ample  and  secure  port, 
closed,  however,  by  a  sand-bank  against  the  entrance 
01  large  vessels.  In  the  port  lie  rotting  the  carcases 
of  two  small  gun-boats,  the  last  miserable  remnant 
of  the  fleet  that  once  carried  the  victorious  army  in- 
to Spain  and  alarmed  European  commerce.  Behind 
the  hill  there  is  a  large  grove  of  gigantic  trees.  The 
town  has  nothing  notable  in  it  except  a  market-place, 


364  MOROCCO. 

surrounded  by  a  portico  sustained  by  small  stone 
columns  ;  but  seen  from  the  port,  all  white  upon  the 
dark-green  background  of  its  hills,  surrounded  by  a 
circle  of  high  battlemented  walls  of  a  dark  calcareous 
tint,  reflected  in  the  azure  waters  of  the  river,  under 
that  limpid  sky,  it  presents  a  dignified  aspect,  and 
despite  the  vividness  of  its  colors,  almost  a  melan- 
choly one,  as  if  one  felt  compassion  at  the  sight  of 
the  picturesque  city  silent  and  alone  upon  that  bar- 
barous coast,  by  that  deserted  port,  in  the  face  of 
that  immense  sea. 

The  camp  was  pitched  that  evening  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Kus,  and  raised  early  the  following  morn- 
ing. We  were  to  go  to  Arzilla,  four  hours  distant 
from  Laracce.  The  baggage  was  sent  on  in  the 
morning  ;  the  Embassy  left  toward  evening.  I  left 
with  the  baggage  convoy,  in  order  to  see  the  caravan 
under  a  new  aspect  ;  and  I  was  glad  I  did,  for  it  was 
a  journey  full  of  adventure. 

The  laden  mules,  accompanied  by  muleteers  and 
servants,  went  in  groups,  at  a  great  distance  one 
from  the  other.  I  went  on  alone  and  rode  for 
nearly  an  hour  over  the  hills,  where  I  saw  only  one 
mule,  driven  by  an  Arab  servant,  and  carrying  two 
sacks  of  straw,  of  which  one  supported  the  head  and 
the  other  the  feet  of  a  groom  of  the  Ambassador's, 
who  had  been  seized  by  a  violent  fever,  and  who 
groaned  enough  to  move  the  very  stones  with  pity. 
The  poor  fellow  lay  thus  across  the  mule,  with  his 
head  hanging  down,  his  body  bent,  the  sun  in  his 


ARZILLA.  365 

eyes,  and  in  this  way  had  he  come  all  the  way  from 
Karia-el-Abbassi,  and  was  to  go  to  Tangiers  !  And 
in  this  way  are  all  the  sick  transported  in  Morocco 
who  have  no  money  to  hire  a  litter  and  two  mules, 
and  fortunate  is  he  who  can  have  a  bag  of  straw ! 

On  the  shore  I  was  joined  by  the  cook,  Ranni, 
and  Luigi,  who  did  not  leave  me  again  until  we 
reached  Arzilla. 

We  trotted  for  an  hour  over  the  sands,  turning 
out  here  and  there  from  the  direct  read  to  avoid  a 
marsh. 

At  this  time  the  cook,  who  for  the  first  time  in  all 
the  journey  was  able  to  speak  freely,  opened  his 
heart  to  me. 

Poor  fellow !  all  the  adventures  we  had  had,  all 
the  great  things  we  had  seen,  had  not  freed  him 
from  a  painful  thought  which  had  destroyed  his 
peace  from  the  first  week  of  his  sojourn  at  Tangiers. 
And  this  thought  was  an  unsuccessful  jelly  made  by 
him  one  day  when  we  were  dining  with  the  French 
Minister — a  jelly  which  had  given  the  first  blow  to 
his  reputation  in  the  mind  of  the  Ambassador,  and 
whose  ill  success  was  due,  not  to  him,  but  to  the  bad 
Marsala  wine.  Fez,  the  court,  Mechinez,  the  Sebu, 
the  ocean,  he  had  seen  and  still  saw  them  all  through 
this  medium  of  jelly.  Or  rather,  he  had  seen  and 
saw  nothing,  because  although  his  body  was  in  Mo- 
rocco, his  spirit  was  in  Turin.  I  asked  him  to  tell 
me  his  impressions,  and  they  were  these,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  set  them  down.  He  could  not  comprehend 


MOROCCO. 

who  the  beast  could  have  been  who  had  stamped 
that  country.  He  related  his  fatigues,  his  quarrels 
with  his  two  Arab  scullions,  the  difficulties  of  pre- 
paring food  in  the  desert,  and  his  immense  desire  to 
see  Turin  again  ;  but  he  always  fell  back  upon  that 
deplorable  jelly  at  the  French  Minister's.  "  I  do 
not  know  how  to  cook  ?  Do  me  the  favor  when 
you  are  at  Turin,"  he  said,  touching  my  arm  to 
withdraw  me  from  my  contemplation  of  the  ocean, 
"  go  and  ask  Count  so-and-so,  Countess  such  a  one, 
etc.,  whom  I  served  for  years  and  years!  Go  to 
General  Ricotti,  Minister  of  War,  who  has  been  five 
years  Minister,  and  who  can  do  just  what  he  pleases; 
go  and  ask  him  whether  or  no  I  can  make  a  jelly ! 
Do  go  ;  give  me  that  satisfaction  ;  it  will  not  take  a 
moment  when  you  are  back  in  our  country !  "  And 
he  insisted  so,  that  in  order  to  contemplate  the  ocean 
in  peace,  I  was  obliged  to  promise. 

Meanwhile  we  came  up  at  every  hundred  paces  or 
so  with  two  or  three  laden  mules,  soldiers  on  horse- 
back, and  servants  on  foot ;  fragments  of  the  caravan 
that  stretched  along  an  hour's  journey  before  us. 
Among  the  soldiers  there  were  some  from  Laracce, 
ragged  fellows,  with  a  handkerchief  bound  round 
their  heads,  and  a  rusty  musket  in  their  hands  ;  and 
among  the  servants,  boys  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
old,  whom  I  had  not  seen  before,  and  who  had  es- 
caped, I  was  told,  from  Mechinez  and  Karia-el- 
Abbassi,  and  joined  the  caravan,  with  nothing  on 
them  but  a  shirt,  to  seek  their  fortune  at  Tangiers, 
living  meantime  on  the  charity  of  the  soldiers. 


ARZILLA.  367 

In  some  of  these  groups  there  would  be  one  tell- 
ing- a  story,  others  singing,  and  all  seemed  cheerful. 

We  stopped  half-way,  to  breakfast  in  the  shadow 
of  a  rock.  And  here  I  saw  a  scene  that  revealed  to 
me  the  nature  of  the  people  better  than  a  volume  of 
psychological  dissertation. 

Near  us  there  was  a  soldier  seated  on  the  sand, 
beyond  him  another,  further  on  a  servant,  and  about 
fifty  paces  from  this  last  another  servant,  seated  near 
a  spring,  with  a  jug  between  his  knees.  Wishing  to 
drink,  I  called  to  the  first  soldier,  "  Elma  f  "  (wa- 
ter), and  pointed  to  the  spring.  The  soldier  an- 
swered with  a  courteous  gesture  of  acquiescence, 
and  imperiously  ordered  the  second  soldier  to  go 
and  get  some  water.  The  latter  made  a  gesture  of 
obedience,  and  with  threats  and  reproaches,  asked 
the  nearest  servant  why  he  had  not  brought  the 
water.  The  servant  in  question  sprang  to  his  feet, 
made  three  hasty  steps  toward  the  one  seated  near 
the  spring,  and  called  to  him  to  bring  water  instant- 
ly. The  last,  observing  that  I  was  not  paying  at- 
tention, did  not  move.  Five  minutes  passed,  and 
the  water  did  not  come.  I  turned  to  the  first  soldier 
and  the  same  scene  was  enacted  over  again.  Final- 
ly, if  I  wanted  water,  I  had  to  shout  to  the  man  who 
had  the  jug,  who,  after  a  few  moments  for  reflection, 
decided  to  get  it,  and  brought  it  with  about  the  speed 
of  a  tortoise. 

We  resumed  our  journey.     A  fresh  breeze  blew, 
and  a  cloud  covered  the  sun,  so  that  the  ride  was 


368  MOROCCO. 

delicious  ;  but  as  the  tide  continued  to  rise,  and  re- 
stricted us  more  and  more  to  the  sandy  path,  upon 
which  we  proceeded  in  single  file,  we  soon  found 
ourselves  imprisoned  between  the  sea  and  the  rocky 
heights  which  rose  almost  perpendicularly  above  our 
heads,  and  obliged  to  go  on  among  the  stones,  where 
the  waves  were  already  breaking.  Several  times 
the  mule  came  to  a  stand  in  terror,  and  I  found  my- 
self surrounded  by  water  and  wrapped  in  a  cloud  of 
spray.  But  our  hour,  as  the  cook  said,  was  not  yet 
come  ;  and  after  about  a  mile,  we  reached  a  hill  up 
which  we  climbed  in  haste,  looking  back  "a  rimirar 
lo  passo" 

With  us  there  was  an  old  soldier  of  Laracce,  a 
little  touched  in  the  head,  who  laughed  constantly, 
but  who  knew  the  road.  He  made  us  skirt  the  hill, 
and  led  us  through  a  thick  grove  of  dwarf  oaks, 
cork-trees,  broom,  and  shrubs  of  various  kinds  ;  by 
a  hundred  twists  and  turns  ;  through  thorns,  and 
mud,  and  water,  and  darkness  ;  in  recesses  where  no 
human  creature  appeared  ever  to  have  penetrated  ; 
and  always  laughing,  brought  us,  tired  and  torn,  to 
the  shore  again,  where  we  found  a  strip  of  sand  un- 
invaded  by  the  waters. 

Here,  the  caravan  not  having  yet  arrived,  the 
beach  was  deserted,  and  we  rode  for  some  time  see- 
ing nothing  but  sea  and  sky,  and  the  foot  of  the  steep 
little  hills  which,  forming  so  many  little  harbors,  hid 
the  horizon  behind  us.  We  were  going  on  in  silence, 
one  behind  the  other,  over  the  soft,  carpet-like  sand, 


ARZILLA.  369 

every  one  of  us  occupied  with  his  thoughts  miles 
away  from  Morocco,  when  suddenly  there  sprang 
from  behind  a  rock  a  spectre,  a  horrible  old  man, 
half  naked,  with  a  crown  of  yellow  flowers  on  his 
head, — a  saint, — who  began  to  inveigh  against  us, 
howling  like  a  madman,  and  making  with  both  hands 
the  gesture  of  scratching  our  faces  and  tearing  our 
beards.  We  stopped  to  look  at  him.  He  became 
more  ferocious.  Ranni,  without  further  ceremony, 
advanced  to  give  him  the  stick  ;  but  I  stopped  him 
and  threw  some  money  to  the  saint.  The  rascal 
stopped,  picked  up  the  coin,  looked  at  it  all  over,  put 
it  in  his  bosom,  and  began  to  yell  worse  than  before. 
"  Ah  !  this  time,"  said  Ranni,  "  he  shall  have  a  good 
beating,"  and  raised  his  stick.  But  the  soldier,  be- 
coming serious  in  a  moment,  stopped  him,  and  say- 
ing a  few  words  to  the  saint  in  accents  of  profound 
respect,  induced  him  to  be  silent.  The  horrible  old 
wretch  gave  us  one  fulminating  glance,  and  hid  him- 
self once  more  among  the  rocks,  where,  it  appears> 
he  lives,  feeding  on  roots,  with  the  sole  purpose 
of  cursing  the  Nazarene  ships  that  pass  on  the 
horizon. 

We  climbed  the  hills  again,  and  rode  for  a  long 
time  through  winding  paths  among  rocks  and  bushes. 
At  some  points,  where  the  path  ran  along  the  edge 
of  the  steep  precipice,  we  could  see  far  down  the  sea 
beating  upon  the  rocks,  and  a  long  stretch  of  beach, 
with  the  caravan  straggling  along,  and  the  immense 
horizon  of  the  blue  ocean  dotted  with  distant  sails. 


37°  MOROCCO. 

The  mountains  where  our  road  lay  formed  with 
their  checkered  tops  a  vast  waving  plain,  where  there 
was  no  trace  of  cultivation,  nor  tomb,  nor  cabin,  nor 
human  creature,  and  no  sound  but  the  distant  mur- 
mur of  the  sea.  "  What  a  country  !  "  exclaimed  the 
cook,  looking  about  him  with  an  anxious  glance. 
"  I  hope  we  may  not  meet  with  any  unpleasant  ad- 
venture." As  for  me,  I  asked  myself  whether  there 
was  no  danger  of  lions.  Going  up  and  going  down, 
losing  sight  of  each  other,  and  meeting  again  among 
the  bushes,  we  travelled  for  two  hours  through  these 
mountain  solitudes,  and  began  to  fear  that  we  had 
missed  the  way,  when  from  a  height,  we  suddenly 
discovered  the  towers  of  Arzilla,  and  the  whole  coast 
as  far  as  Cape  Spartel,  whose  blue  outline  was  drawn 
sharply  against  the  limpid  clearness  of  the  sky. 

It  was  a  delight  for  all  the  little  caravan,  but  of 
brief  duration. 

As  we  descended  toward  the  sea  we  saw  far  off  a 
group  of  horses  and  men  lying  down,  who,  as  soon 
as  they  discovered  us,  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  to 
their  saddles,  and  came  toward  us,  spreading  them- 
selves out  in  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  as  if  they  in- 
tended to  prevent  our  advance  toward  the  town. 

"  Here  we  are  at  last ! "  thought  I  ;  "  this  time  we 
shall  not  escape ;  "  it  is  a  band,"  and  I  made  a  sign 
for  the  rest  to  halt. 

"  Let  the  Moor  be  sent  forward !  "  called  out  the 
cook.  The  Moorish  soldier  ran  on  in  advance. 

"Give  them  a  shot!"  screamed  the  trembling 
cook. 


ARZILLA.  371 

"  One  moment,"  said  I  ;  "  before  we  kill  them,  let 
us  see  whether  they  mean  to  kill  us.'' 

I  looked  attentively  at  them  ;  they  advanced  at  a 
trot ;  there  were  ten  of  them,  some  in  dark  colors, 
some  in  white  ;  I  could  see  no  muskets  ;  at  their 
head  was  an  old  man  with  a  white  beard  ;  I  felt 
reassured. 

"  Let  us  form  a  square !  "  cried  the  cook. 

"  There  is  no  need,"  The  old  man  with  the  white 
beard  had  uncovered  his  head,  and  came  toward  us 
cap  in  hand. 

He  was  an  Israelite.  At  ten  paces  off  he  stopped 
with  his  followers,  who  were  composed  of  four  other 
Israelites  and  five  Arab  servants,  and  made  signs 
that  he  wished  to  speak  to  me. 

"  Hable  Usted"  I  replied  ("  Speak !  "). 

"  I  am  so  and  so,"  he  said  in  Spanish,  with  a 
sweet  voice,  and  bending  in  an  attitude  of  respect, 
"consular-agent  for  Italy  and  all  the  other  European 
states  in  the  city  of  Arzilla.  Have  I  the  honor  to 
be  in  the  presence  of  his  Excellency  the  Italian  Am- 
bassador, returning  from  Fez,  on  his  way  to  Tan- 

•       •)  >» 
giers  r 

I  was  amazed.  Then  I  assumed  a  grave  and 
courteous  air,  and  glanced  round  at  my  followers 
who  were  beaming  with  delight  ;  and  after  having 
tasted  for  an  instant  the  honor  of  an  official  recep- 
tion, I  undeceived  the  old  Hebrew,  with  a  sigh,  and 
told  him  who  I  was.  He  seemed  for  a  moment  dis- 
pleased, but  did  not  change  his  manner.  He  offered 


372  MOROCCO. 

me  his  house  to  rest  in,  and  when  I  declined  his 
hospitality,  he  would  at  any  rate  accompany  me  to 
the  spot  destined  for  the  encampment. 

We  all  went  on  together,  skirting"  the  city,  tow- 
ard the  sea-shore.  Ah !  if  Ussi  and  Biseo  could 
only  have  seen  me  !  Hrw  picturesque  I  must  have 
been,  sitting  on  a  mule,  with  a  white  scarf  round  my 
head,  followed  by  my  staff,  composed  of  a  cook  in 
his  shirt  sleeves,  two  sailors  armed  with  sticks,  and 
a  ragged  Moor  I  O  Italian  Art,  what  hast  thou  not 
lost! 

Arzilla,  the  Zilia  of  the  Carthagenians,  the  Julia 
Traducta  of  the  Romans,  passed  from  the  hands  of 
the  latter  into  those  of  the  Goths,  was  sacked  by  the 
English  toward  the  middle  of  the  tenth  century,  re- 
mained for  thirty  years  a  heap  of  stones,  was  rebuilt 
by  Abd-er-Rhaman-ben-Ali,  Caliph  of  Cordova, 
taken  by  the  Portuguese,  and  retaken  by  Morocco, 
and  is  now  nothing  but  a  little  town  of  about  one 
thousand  inhabitants  between  Moors  and  Hebrews, 
surrounded  on  the  sea  and  land  sides  by  high  bat- 
tlemented  walls,  which  are  falling  into  ruin  ;  white 
and  quiet  as  a  cloister,  and  imprinted,  like  all  the 
small  Mahometan  towns,  with  that  smiling  melan- 
choly which  recalls  the  last  look  on  the  face  of  the 
dying  who  are  glad  to  die. 

In  the  evening,  at  sunset,  the  Ambassador  ar- 
rived, and  came  to  the  encampment  across  the  city  ; 
and  I  have  still  before  my  eyes  the  spectacle  of  that 
beautiful  cavalcade,  full  of  color  and  life,  issuing  out 


ARZILLA.  373 

of  a  battlemented  gate,  advancing  in  picturesque  dis- 
order along  the  shore,  and  throwing  across  the  sands 
in  the  rosy  sunset  light  its  long  black  shadows  ;  and 
here,  in  fact,  it  may  be  said  that  our  journey  came 
to  an  end,  since  the  following  morning  we  en- 
camped at  Ain-Dalia,  and  two  days  afterward  we 
re-entered  Tangiers,  where  the  caravan  broke  up  in 
that  same  little  market-place  where  it  had  formed 
two  months  before. 

The  commandant,  the  captain,  the  two  painters, 
and  I  left  together  for  Gibraltar.  The  Ambassador, 
the  vice-consul,  all  the  people  of  the  Legation  ac- 
companied us  to  the  shore,  and  the  farewells  were 
very  affectionate.  All  were  moved,  even  the  good 
General  Hamed-ben-Kasen,  who,  pressing  my  hand 
against  his  mighty  chest,  repeated  three  times  the 
only  European  word  he  knew — "A  Diosf" — with  a 
voice  that  came  from  his  heart.  We  had  scarcely 
put  our  foot  upon  the  deck  of  the  ship  when,  oh! 
how  distant  in  space  and  time  seemed  all  that  phan- 
tasmagoria of  pashas,  and  negroes,  and  tents,  and 
mosques,  and  battlemented  towers.  It  was  not  a 
country,  it  was  an  entire  world  that  in  a  moment 
vanished  from  our  eyes,  and  a  world  that  we  should 
never  see  again.  A  little  of  Africa  accompanied 
us  on  board,  however,  in  the  two  Selams,  Ali, 
Hamed,  Abd-er-Rhaman,  Civo,  Morteo's  servants, 
and  other  kind  young  fellows  whom  Mussulman  su- 
perstition had  not  prevented  from  wishing  well  to 
the  Nazarenes  and  serving  them  with  fidelity.  And 


374  MOROCCO. 

they  also  took  leave  of  us  with  warm  demonstrations 
of  affection  and  regret,  Civo  more  than  the  others, 
who,  causing  his  long  white  shirt  to  float  for  the  last 
time  before  my  eyes,  threw  his  arms  about  my  neck, 
and  planted  two  kisses  in  my  ear.  And  when  the 
steamer  moved  they  saluted  us  still  from  a  boat, 
waving  their  red  fezes,  and  shouting  as  long  as  we 
could  see  them,  "  Allah  be  with  you !  Come  back  to 
Morocco!  Farewell,  Nazarenes!  Farewell,  Italians' 
A  Dies  I  ADios/" 


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